


Stumbling

by chaoticlogic



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Angst, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Eventual Romance, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Love Triangles, POV Second Person, Rating May Change, Reader-Insert, Romance, Slow Build, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-18
Updated: 2020-06-20
Packaged: 2021-02-12 21:08:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 53,746
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21482878
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chaoticlogic/pseuds/chaoticlogic
Summary: Your life hadn't gone exactly as you planned...Which is why when an old rival walks into the coffee shop you work at he gives you an offer you just can't refuse. Finally, a chance at the League. Suddenly you are thrust into the spot light and a world you thought you had left behind. Dreams aren't always what they are cracked up to be though, especially when you find yourself the tangled up with the champion and a certain gym leader.Has all your dreams come true?Or is this your worst nightmare?
Relationships: Dande | Leon/Reader, Kibana | Raihan/Reader, Leon/Reader, Raihan x reader x Leon, Raihan/Reader
Comments: 319
Kudos: 1101





	1. Unexpected Visitors

You gaze out into the rainy afternoon, your eyes are only half open as you fight back a yawn. It ends up winning anyway and you shake your head to clear it of the drowsiness that has encompassed you. You heave a sigh as you pull yourself from the counter only to gaze around the empty and immaculate cafe. You can only wipe a counter so many times before you essentially give up on life itself. 

With a rattle, the door opens allowing a gust of chilly wind to follow the man that rushes into the cafe. A chill runs up your spine destroying the cosy atmosphere that had once surrounded you. A soft scowl mars your features as you recognize the male standing in the doorway before he even has a chance to turn around. The cape, cascading with logos, is a dead giveaway that “The Unbeatable Champion” is standing in the door and you do not want to deal with him.

You watch in slight annoyance as he turns around and flashes you a dazzling smile. You are quite sure many a female has fallen to their knees upon being graced with that smile, and yet you could care less. You decided long ago that if you ever saw Leon again it would be too soon. 

Are you being petty? 

Probably. 

And yet you cannot be bothered to care. 

“Sorry about the entrance! I’m a little lost and I wasn’t expecting such a bad storm!” He rubs the back of his neck with a bright smile and shameless laugh. 

“It’s fine… Where are you trying to go?” you ask pointedly, attempting to keep the snark out of your voice; you may or may not have succeeded. 

“I was trying to get to Blottsberg to meet up with a friend there!”

“You…” you pause unsure how to tell him it’s in the opposite direction, “went the wrong way… It’s on the other side of Bleary.”

He winces before he sends you another dashing smile.

“Right! Well, I’ll head that way when the storm clears!”

You blink a few times at the blinding smile before you and just shrug your shoulders, “Suit yourself.”

He walks over to the counter and you cringe internally as water drips from his cape and onto the floor. You feel a bad mood creep up on you as you look up at the tall man before you. 

You watch for a moment in annoyed silence as he studies the menu. After far too long at gazing at the menu, he sends you a sheepish and yet dazzling smile. 

“I’m sorry… I’m not sure what to get…” he adjusts the cap on his head and you roll your eyes before out turn dutifully to the espresso machine. You hold up a hand to silence the male and you’re almost amused at the kicked puppy expression that adorns his features. 

After a few moments, you hand him the drink and shoo him from your counter, “Go sit over there while I clean up.”

Wordlessly he nods and walks to where you indicated, taking a seat in the chair. A moment later, you hear a content sigh and you chance a glance at him out of the corner of your eye as you struggle with the mop and bucket. He looks almost peaceful as he gazes out the window. The cup of hot chocolate in his hand used as a makeshift warmer.

“How did you know I don’t like coffee?” the question breaks the quiet atmosphere and you look up at him. 

You fix him with an unreadable expression before you shrug, “You don’t seem like the coffee type.”

“You put spices in it to make it spicy, how did you know that’s how I like my drink?”

It’s almost accusatory. 

Once again you just shrug at him before you go back to cleaning up the mess, casually you drag the mop across the floor to seep up the wetness. 

You hear a sigh, “That’s not an answer (Name).”

You let out a humorless laugh, “Ah… so The Unbeatable Champion still remembers a peasant such as myself? How… kind.”

You voice is dripping with derision and you don’t miss the frown on his face or the way his eyes harden. 

“What do you mean by that?”

“Nothing… That was mean of me… I’m sorry its just been a long day.”

You hear him huff before you hear the scraping of a chair. 

“What are you even doing here? Shouldn’t you be some great trainer or professor? Why aren’t you running a gym or tearing up the league?” He says this as he plucks the mop from your hands and completes the job himself. A look of annoyed confusion maring his face as he concentrates on the task at hand. It looks wrong on a face that you are so used to seeing happy. 

You take a step back, lean back against the counter and cross your arms over your chest, “No one wanted to sponsor me for the league and I didn’t have the money for college to do research.”

“What do you mean no one wanted to sponsor you?! You were one of the best in our class! You were the only one who gave me a run for my money! Do you know how confused I was to not see you in the finals that year? Or the year after? I spent years thinking I would see you as the finalist. Instead you just gave up?!”

“Don’t you lecture me Leon! You had sponsors begging to endorse you for the league! You know what they told me? That I wasn’t pretty enough. That I wasn’t cute enough. That I wasn’t sexy enough. That I didn’t have the right look. That I don’t have the right vibe. That I am too smart. Male fans don’t like smart trainers, they like pretty ones! And without connections you’re fucked if you can’t get a sponsor. I was fourteen and the world told me I wasn’t good enough and they destroyed my dream, Leon.”

You gaze up at the ceiling and blink hard attempting to get rid of the tears gathering in the corner of your eyes. It’s been ten years and the feelings of rejection still stings like the day they happened.

“That’s bullshit…” You look into angry eyes.

You feel your own harden in defense, “That’s the truth!”

“No! No… that’s not what I meant… What I mean is you’re an amazing trainer… You should be one of the most acclaimed trainers in all of Galar right now… You were my first rival after all.”

You roll eyes as an almost fond smile breaks through the feelings you have long since buried. 

“You should be grateful… you wouldn’t be the “Unbeatable Champion” if I had been sponsored.”

“That’s pretty big words for a barista.”

You fix him with a look before you snatch the mop from his hands, “Whatever.”

Walking into the back room you dump the bucket and mop in a corner and head back out to the front. Leon is gazing intently at the pastries in the case but look up when you walk back out. He flashes you smile and point to the brownie. You roll your eyes and walk over to the case before you grab the paper and pull a brownie out. A moment later, there is a pop and standing before you is Charizard. 

“Hey bud…” You murmur with a soft smile, “How are you doing?”

Charizard lets out a purr and ducks his head long enough for you pet him. Nuzzling your cheek before he backs away and awaits his treat patiently. 

“Ah… I see you’ve grown some patience…” 

He just huffs, smoke blowing out of his nostrils. 

You smile and shake your head before you hand the treat to the overgrown lizard and watch in amusement as he eats it all in one bite and then pouts that it’s all gone. 

“I’m going to sponsor you.”

“What?”

‘You heard me… I’m going to sponsor you.”

“Why?”

“Because you need to be in the league. You’re one of the best at battling I’ve ever seen-”

“Umm… you haven’t even watched me battle since we were fourteen…”

“If you were that good at fourteen just think of how good you are now!”

“Leon… I have a life… I can’t just pick it up and go on an adventure. I have responsibilities!”

“Why not?”

“Because!”

“That’s not a reason, it’s an excuse.”

You just gape at him as your words from years before come back to haunt you, “Damn… I was an annoying kid…”

“You were kinda badass too so it made up for it,” he says as he sends you a wink. 

“Did you just wink at me? What is going on?”

Leon rolls his eyes and takes a step towards you, you just take a step back, happy the counter is separating the two of you.

“Look,” he says with a sigh, “I want to endorse you for the upcoming league, and I have the confidence that the top student in our class will crush everyone and meet me for a Champion battle.”

“Please stop using ‘champion’ like it’s an adjective.”

He fixes you with a blank look, “Just… think about it… you don’t have to give me an answer now.”

“I’ve already thought about it… It’s just not who I am anymore.”

“Well if you change your mind…” he pulls a napkin from the dispenser and a marker from his pocket and you watch in annoyed awe as he scribbles his number onto it and and leaves it for you on the counter. 

“I won’t.”

“Sure… Well I have to go! It’s been a champion time catching up with you and I hope you’ll consider my offer! However, Raihan is waiting for me!”

You roll your eyes as The Unbeatable Champion walks out the door, the personality you’ve seen countless times on the news and league television snapping into place. You gaze down at the napkin on the table before you grab it and go to throw it into the trash. Just as you’re about to let go you stuff your fist into your apron pocket and let out a sigh of annoyance. 

“He’s still cute…” you grumble to yourself as you glance out the window and watch him fade from sight. 

The rest of your shift goes by in a blur and before you know it you are on your way home. The sound of Pokemon in the distance being the only thing that disrupt your nightly walk home. You can feel the napkin wadded up in your hoodie pocket and you glare ahead of you. Once in your tiny apartment you throw the abused napkin on the table before you stripe yourself of your uniform the scent of coffee, bleach and spoiled milk assaulting your senses as you do so. Ignoring your coffee table you walk into your kitchen and heat up a frozen meal to eat before you walk over to your couch and plop down on it flicking on your TV. Instantly, the screen is flooded with the news of the upcoming league tournament along with highlights from last year’s tournament. You quickly change the channel, this one showing the battle between Leon and Raihan from the last tournament. You change the channel again, and it’s an interview with Leon. Another channel is interviewing Chairman Rose about the upcoming League. You heave a sigh of defeat and turn the TV off. 

“This is ridiculous…” you groan to yourself before your Hatenna, Serenity, runs across the floor. 

Glancing down you feel a wave of shame come over you, knowing that every time you dwell on old memories and grieve the life you thought you were going to have you hurt her. 

“I’m sorry...I’m trying to do better… some days it’s just harder than others…” 

She chirps sorrowfully at you before she hops up onto the couch beside you and nuzzle into your side. After a few moments of wallowing you pick up the empty container and wad the napkin up before you drop it into the mess left behind. 

“You know better than to dream…” you mutter to yourself before you throw it and the container away.


	2. We're Going on an Adventure!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With a little kick in the pants you are off on your adventure to Motostoke for the Opening Ceremony. The fun doesn't stop there though! Hey you may have wanted an adventure, but those crazy Meowth are a little more than you bargained for!

You heave a sigh as you gaze out the window of the coffee shop. 

“(NAME)! Are you paying attention?!” You jump before you glance up at your boss. You notice the cup on the counter, picking it up you read the order and get to work making it. The days since Leon graced your with his presence one rainy afternoon have been difficult ones. You’ve gone back and forth on your decision and often wonder if turning it down was such a good idea. Thus, all you have been doing is daydreaming and getting yelled at. You hand off the drink to the customer with a robotic smile.

“Look (Name), I’m going to take a lunch, then you can go when I come back… Just pay attention… I don’t know what’s gotten into you lately, but I’m worried…”

You fix your boss with a puzzled gaze before you send him a reassuring smile, “I’ll be fine… Just some thoughts…”

He nods in understanding and turns to head into his office for his lunch. He’s a good guy with a sweet family. He’s done a lot for you over the years and you’re grateful to him, but you can’t help but feel trapped. You feel trapped in a life you never wanted and didn’t ask for. You’re bored and you need a challenge. Regret hits you like a freight train and you push the tears back as feelings of hopelessness and fear attack you. All you wanted was an out and you threw it away…

Snapping out of your thoughts you push them away and start to condense the pastries to make room for fresh ones. With the morning rush over you are just biding your time for your own lunch. When your boss, Mr. O’Malley, comes back he hands you an envelope. 

“Here… this is addressed to you,” he says with confusion lacing his voice. You’ve never gotten mail here before. 

With a furrowed brow you take it from him with a quiet thank you, and open it up. Inside is a letter of endorsement for the League signed by Leon himself. 

“You didn’t tell me you know the champion,” says O’Malley as he reads the letter over your shoulder. You whip around to face him and hold the letter to yourself. 

“We’re old school mates…”

“I see…”

“Yeah…” you mutter as you avoid his eyes. 

“Are you going to go?”

“What?! Go where?”

“The League?”

“NO! Of course not… I have far too much to do… to be responsible for…”

“Will you stop making excuses?” he cuts you off sounding exhasperated. 

“Huh?”

“You are wasted here, not that I don’t appreciate you. I do! You’re my best employee… But you and I both know you are destined for something much greater than coffee…”

Gazing at the man in front of you, you feel your eyes well up with tears.

“Hey now… None of that…” he mutters and you just nod before you wipe your eyes. Gazing down at the letter you read over it and feel your chest tighten. 

“I have to get ready… I have to leave today if I’m going to make it to the opening ceremony!”

“Go on then!”

You feel your heart swell for the first time in a long time.

“I’m going on an adventure…” You whisper more to yourself, before you untie your apron and rush out the door yelling your thanks as you do. 

Your running is cut short by the stitch in your side as you slow to a light jog then a walk. 

“Well…. (Name).... You’re not getting to the station if you die first…” you pant as you hold your side. 

Yep… definitely not fourteen anymore…. You grumble to yourself as you make your way to your apartment. 

Serenity is in front of you in a moment gazing up at you in slight wonder. 

“Were going on an adventure,” you say with a smile gazing down at her. 

Her eyes filled with happiness as she leaps up into the air before crashing into your arms. You laugh as you hold her before you plop her onto your head and she latches on. 

“Come on! We need to get ready! The ceremony is tomorrow!” you rush into your room and start throwing things into your bag. Before you know it your bag is bulging and your not even able to lift it from the ground. 

“Maybe… I’ve over packed…”

Serenity just nods her tiny head and gazes up at you from the bed.

“Okay…” you sigh before you start pulling things from your bag and throwing it onto your bed. She lets out a squeak of indignation when you take out one of you dresses and replace it with a raincoat.

“I know! But what if it rains! You know how unpredictable the weather can! And it’s going to be cold at night! I need a blanket! Oh dear… I need a tent! Where the hell am I going to fit a tent into this thing? HOW AM I GOING TO FIT A TENT IN THIS THING?! That’s it… I’m not going…”

Serenity jumps up and twacks you on the head and sends you a tiny glare. 

“Right well! Best figure out what I don’t need… No no! The blanket stays you will appreciate me later trust me!”

After battling with yourself and your Hatenna you have finally come to a balanced things to pack ratio. 

“There best be a washing machine in the Pokemon center or the world will burn…” you grumble to yourself as you set off on your way to the train station just as the sun sets on the horizon. 

You’ve been walking for a couple of hours when you check your watch. The last train leaves in about an hour and despite the fact that you are making good time you aren’t sure if you are going to make it in time at the pace you’re going. Suddenly you hear a low rumble from the bushes next to you. A pair of eyes gleam in the faint moonlight and a moment later out steps a Meowth and then another and then another. 

“Oh… Shit…”

Without waiting for an invitation you turn tails and start running, just to get away from the hoard of Meowth now chasing you. You can pretty much hear them cackle behind you as about fifteen of them chase after you down the dirt pathway. Despite your shortness of breath and your racing heart you just keep going. Suddenly, the Pokeball on your hip opens and out pops Serenity with a hard expression on her face. As if your tiny baby is going to take a stand. 

“NOPE!” you yelp as you scoop her up from the ground and hike her up on your shoulder. She squeaks in surprise when she sees the sheer amount of Meowth hot on your tail. She suddenly opens her tiny mouth and lets out a shrill cry causing the Meowth to scatter momentarily before renewing their chase. 

“OH! What was that?! Do it again!” you cry as you plop her on your head facing her towards her opponents. She continues to hit them with the attack and you notice that some of them have fainted or seem to be turning around. Apparently, when you’re the one getting attacked the chase isn’t as much fun. A moment later, you see the tower of the train station in sight and you heave a sigh of relief when you collapse into a chair in the station. 

“It was a hoard of Meowth…” You say to the patrons looking at you as if you are crazy. At your explanation they just nod in abject understanding and go back to their business. 

“All aboard the last train to Motostoke station!” 

You quickly collect yourself and your exhausted but proud pokemon and rush to the ticket counter. They hurry through the transaction and you rush onto the train. You make it through the doors just as they shut and you heave a sigh of relief as you make your way to a vacant seat. 

Serenity plops onto the seat next to you and gazes up at you happily. 

“You did amazing out there! How about a treat?” She nods her little head enthusiastically. Pulling out your phone you open up your stats for Serenity. 

“Hmmm… Looks like you learned Disarming Voice. That’s amazing! It’s also going to be super helpful in upcoming battles!” She just chirps happily at you before showing you a picture of a piece of cake sitting on the table. 

“Of course, first we'll eat cake for dinner!” She thrills happily and ends up bouncing around in her seat 

When the train staff comes by to take your order you end up with about three different slices of cake and a couple of pastries. The two of you happily stuff your faces with the cakes and wrap the pastries up for later. Gazing out the window watching the scenery go by in the pale moonlight you feel at peace for the first time in many years. 

The next morning it’s the sound of the train whistle that wakes you from your slumber. You fell asleep slumped over in the booth you had claimed last night. Serenity also jumps to attention before relaxing and letting out a long yawn as she gazes around her surroundings. 

“Right. Well… Let’s go!”

You gather your things and Serenity jumps up onto the top of your head, her little hat like antenna picking up everything around her. You’re a little surprised she isn’t overwhelmed since she doesn’t like crowds. Then again the amount of people getting off of the overnight train is not nearly as many as it would be during the day. Since it’s so early in the morning you decide to go ahead and register then find a hotel to clean yourself up for the opening ceremony. Walking in the direction of the arena you find it easily enough. It’s just the large centerpiece of the city, you know you can’t miss it. With a deep breath you walk up the stairs and into the stadium. Walking up to the counter you see a young man sorting through some papers before he looks up and greets you. 

“How can I help you Ma’am?”

You can’t say your eye didn’t twitch at ‘ma’am’ but you put the thought aside and present your letter. “I’m here to register.”

He looks down at the letter and squints.

“The...Champion is endorsing you?”

You can tell he doesn’t believe you. 

“Yes… He is.”

“I’m afraid I’m going to have to check on some...things… hold on one moment please.”

“Oh dear…” you grumble to yourself and pull out the pastry from last night and take a bite. You pull off a piece and hand it to Serenity who is still scouting the area from your head. She happily takes the offered piece and begins to munch on it. You pull a napkin from your bag and go to wipe the crumbs away when you notice numbers written on it. 

“Oh… you cheeky little bugger..” you say as you glance up at the Hatenna on your head. 

“So sneaky… but so smart…” you mumble to yourself before you pull out your phone and dial the number. 

“Ma’am I’m afraid until the Champion gets here for us to confirm the validity, we cannot accept this as proof of-” You hold up your hand and indicate the phone in your hand. 

A moment later a sleepy voice answers the phone. 

“Hello? Who is this?”

“Leon! It’s (Name), I’ve run into a bit of a problem… Registration doesn’t seem to want to accept the letter.”

“What? Why?” he asks in sleepy confusion, but the declaration seems to have woken him up a little bit more. 

“They don’t believe it’s real…” you grumble with a sigh. 

Serenity pats your arm and indicates the uneaten pastry in your hand. You take one more bite before you hand the rest of it to her. 

“Don’t worry… I’ll take care of it, just head to the Budew Drop Inn. I’ll call ahead and make sure they have a room for you.”

“Thanks Leon! I owe you one!” you chirp before you turn to the flabbergasted League employee behind the counter. You send him a Cheshire grin and wave before you turn away from the counter. 

You hear Leon’s signature laugh, “You sure do! Just make sure that you make it to the finals, that’ll be my payment okay?”

“You got it!”

“Hey (NickName)...”

“Uhh… yeah?” you ask stopping at his tone of voice and the name you haven’t heard in years. 

“I’m just really happy that you decided to compete. I know you’re going to do great things.”

You feel tears well up in your eyes and you blink them away, “Me too…” you whisper back before you bid him goodbye and head out the door into the morning sunlight. It doesn’t take you long to find your way to the inn and when you get there you notice the employees seem to be scrambling for something. 

“You must be (Name)! Champion Leon called and stated there has been a hold up with your League entrance paperwork, but he’s working on it. Until then, we’ve been instructed to make sure you have a room so you can get freshened up for the opening ceremony.”

“Thank you,” you say with a grateful smile. 

“Of course! Follow me!” you follow along after the staff member through the hallways until you get to a room. She hands you the key and you let yourself in thanking her again in the process. 

You throw yourself down on the bed and look up at the ceiling. 

“I can’t believe this is happening…”

Serenity chirps at you before she too flopped back onto the bed.

“I know… This is just the beginning and we’re going to be amazing.”

After a few minutes of rest you haul yourself up from the bed and head into the shower. Once you are clean you put on some clean clothes and start sorting out your hair and makeup. You’re almost done putting the finishing touches on your hair when there is a knock on your door. You rush over to see who it is then open up the door. Leon is standing on the other side. 

“Getting ready?” he asks as you move to the side for him to come in. 

“Yeah I’m almost done.”

“Good good… I’ve got everything squared away with your entrance paperwork. Here, this is for you!” He hands over the necessary things you’ll need for the league. 

“Thanks,” you say as you begin sorting through all the necessary paperwork and badge holder. 

“Also! Hand me your phone and I’ll get your dex set up for you.”

“You know how to do that?”

“Sonia told me how, she says she’ll catch up with you soon though. She misses you.”

You look up into his eyes, “Well I can’t wait to see her again, it’s been far too long. How is she?”

“She’s helping her gran out with research, so she’s been pretty busy lately.”

“Oh, I bet it makes it hard for you two to see each other huh? With you both being so busy?”

“I mean yeah… but that’s life I guess?” He says with a shrug as he concentrates on the device in his hand. He pulls out his own phone and pulls up a code that he enters before the Pokedex springs to life on your own phone. He gives a nod before he hands it back to you. 

“Thanks… you know… for everything… I wasn’t the nicest to you that day…”

“Well… You’ve never really been the nicest to me…” 

You look up in shock, “Oh hush!” you say as you go to smack his arm, he lets out a loud laugh and dodges you. 

“You’ll have to be faster than that to beat the champion!” he exclaims as he ducks down, barely dodging the pillow you are now trying to assault him with. 

“I’ll show you ‘not nice!’” you exclaim. 

He grabs one of the other pillows and the two of you end up duking it out via fluffy madness, Serenity jumping about on the bed chirping happily at the two of you. After a few minutes, you both collapsed onto the bed in laughter throwing the pillows to the side. 

“I needed that…” you wheeze out in between breaths. 

“You’re going to do great…”

“What if I don’t?” you ask in a small voice. 

He lifts himself up onto one arm so he can look down into your eyes. 

“You’re way stronger than you think you are…”

You just nod unable to speak before you grasp the pillow and bury your face in it. He pulls you into a hug as you attempt to roll away from him. 

“No Leon! If you hug me it will only make it worse!”

“Why?”

“Because I’ll just want to cry more!”

He lets out a laugh but lets go of you, “At some point you’re going to have to stop crying every time you see me…”

“Shut up! It’s your fault! Plus I’m dealing with a whole decade of buried emotions it’s a lot, okay? Being a woman is a lot!”

You both just end up laughing at your outburst, once you’ve calmed down you go to fix your hair and make up again. You’re a little surprised when Leon just continues to lounge on your bed and play with Serenity. 

“I don’t remember you having a Hatenna when we were younger… What happened to…”

“She’s with Mom and Dad… I didn’t really have the space to keep her and now she just enjoys lounging around.”

“I see…”

“Have you thought about your team?”

You look at him through the mirror as you fix your hair. 

“I have a few thoughts…”

“None that you’re willing to share?” He asks with a sly smile. 

You just shrug in reply, “I can’t reveal all my secrets…”

“Of course not…”

“Not even one?”

“Don’t you have official League things to do?”

“Bothering my sponsor is my official League thing right now.”

“You’re impossible…”

“I’m The Unbeatable Champion!”

“So now you’re The Impossible Champion!” you chirp with sarcastic happiness. 

You see him slowly go to reach for the pillow again and, “Don’t you dare! I do NOT have time to redo my hair...AGAIN.”

He sends you an innocent smile as he holds up his hands in mock surrender. You just send him a look and go back to fixing your makeup. 

When you are finished the two of you head out of the inn and back to the stadium. Now, especially with Leon by your side, the amount of people looking at you and acknowledging you is overwhelming. 

“Oh! You need a uniform! I’ll be right back!” you watch as he jogs off without waiting for a reply. A moment later you are approached by a reporter and cameraman. 

“Excuse me… Do you have a moment to answer a few questions?”

“Umm… not at the moment… I need to get ready for the ceremony.”

A look of surprise crosses her features, “Oh? You’re a competitor? Are you the sponsor that Champion Leon is endorsing?”

“Yes, I am… and I’m afraid I have much to do before the ceremony… If you’ll excuse me…”

You practically run away from the reporter and practically into Leon. He steadies you before he hands you the uniform. 

“Whoa! Slow down! Here take this and head to the locker room! I have to go take my place, I’ll see you afterwards though?”

You just nod in bewilderment and take the offered uniform. You know this is something you’re going to have to get used to, especially if you are going to be at all associated with Leon. Vaguely you wonder to yourself if you’ve made the right decision after all… especially with the way that reporter is eyeing you like her next meal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! I wanted to say thank you to everyone who has reviewed and subscribed! I'm excited about this and I'm hoping to have the next chapter out soon! Raihan will be in that one! Who is ready for Dragon Boy? Me tooooo! I hope you enjoyed your Leon moment! Please review and tell me your thoughts!


	3. Dragon's are a Girl's Best Friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You're in for a whirlwind day, especially when you have to save a Dragon. It's fine because you could have totally taken him...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: This does contain pokemon abuse and if that is something that bothers you, perhaps don't read? It's not graphic, but I know things make people uncomfortable! Consider yourself warned.

As you walk out onto the Pitch, every possible emotion courses through your body. You know that this is the moment you have been waiting for. A chance at something more, something wonderful. You can’t just hear the roar of the crowd, you can feel it in your bones and you have never felt more at home than you do in this moment. With a striking rush of clarity, you know your goal. This is more than just winning. 

Your heart is in your throat as you gaze at the gym leaders before you. Each one a celebrity and powerhouse in their own right. Your eyes zero in on the innocent farmer boy’s smile of Milo. He’s the first in the line up and the only opponent that currently matters. Everyone between the two of you are just stepping stones. 

The world stops as the names of the competitors are announced and somewhere in the back of your mind you acknowledge your face is currently the size of an Wailmer on a screen bigger than your entire apartment. Perhaps it’s best to not think about that too much. 

Within a blink, the ceremony is over and you are exiting the locker room in a daze of emotions and ideas. You suddenly feel overwhelmed with the task set before you, and yet you have never been more excited in your life. Around you are mostly younger teens, fresh from the academy with a dream and more optimism than you’ve ever had in your lifetime. If nothing else your life experience will serve you well. 

You’re out the door of the stadium in a moment and you’ve taken refuge on the bench beside of the arena. You feel a vibration in your pocket and you pull your phone to see a text from Leon asking where you are. You text him back a moment later and just rest your head back, lightly bumping it against the wall before your close your eyes. 

“(Name)! There you are! What are you doing out here?” You hear Leon exclaim as he comes rushing up to you. You notice someone behind him and recognize the Dragon Trainer Raihan, otherwise known as Leon’s biggest rival. 

You roll your head towards the men and give them a slight smile, “It’s loud in there…”

“Well you best get used to the crowd cheering your name! Your first gym battle is soon!” Leon says in excitement as he plops down on the bench next to you. 

“Now I see why you’re so eager for...what did you call her? Oh yeah! ...your first rival, to battle you.”

“Why’s that?” you ask in curiosity lifting your head from the wall. 

“Because you’re so pretty,” he says with a wink and you feel your entire face heat up. 

“Wait a second are you blushing?! The Great (Name)! Blushing?” exclaims Leon in surprise. 

“Hush Leon… No one asked for your commentary… besides I just had my face on a jumbotron for the first time and I’m feeling a little embarrassed. Of course my face is red!”

“It wasn’t red when I sat down…” Leon says, “You don’t have a crush on Raihan do you?”

“And if I do?” you ask with a challenge in your eye. 

Leon’s eyes widen and he sputters for a moment as if he hadn’t been expecting you to agree, “Well…”

“You’re not jealous are you Leon?” asks Raihan. 

“What?! No!”

“Are you sure? She’s awful pretty! And from the way you talk about her…” he pauses and whistles, “she’s going to be a wildcat on the battlefield.”

“Did you just call me a wildcat?”

“Maybe? You like it?” he asks with another wink. 

You let out a chuckle at the Dragon trainer and shake your head, “I’ve had worse nicknames.”

“Like what?”

“You don’t need to know…”

“Oh now I definitely need to know!”

“When we battle, if you win, I’ll tell you otherwise it’s going to my grave.”

“Deal! Just know I have an extra reason to win now!”

“Of course… I mean by the time I get to you… you won’t stand a chance…”

He smiles, his fang like teeth prominent, “We’ll see about that…” he says with a wink.

It’s at that moment that you notice something across the walkway on the other side of the arena doors. Your eyes widen as anger courses through your body at the sight and before you can even think you’re rushing to the scene unfolding before you. You don’t stop and just throw your arm up, the whip in the teen’s hand wrapping itself around your forearm. You feel nothing but rage as you rip your arm back, pulling the whip from the hands of the surprised male and fixing him with a glare as you stand protectively over the young Jangmo-o. He’s cowering in terror from his trainer and just turns his head farther away as his trainer yelled in indignation at you.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?! Get out my way!”

“How dare you?” your voice is deathly calm, the slight tremble of rage the only thing giving away your emotions. 

“It’s my Pokemon I can do what I want with it!”

“No, you absolutely can’t do whatever you want with it! It’s a living breathing creature, NOT a toy.”

“Get out of my way and mind your business,” he says as he takes a menacing step towards you. 

“This is my business.”

“MOVE!” he yells as he raises his fist in the air, but before he even has time to move, a hand is holding his arm back. Leon and Raihan, along with a crowd of people, are glaring at the teen. He looks nervous for the first time before he glances back at you. You pay him no mind as you turn around and bend down, cautiously approaching the baby dragon behind you. It flinches away from your touch and you feel your heart break. 

“It’s okay… I’m not going to let anything happen to you anymore…” you coo at it. 

Serenity pops out of her pokeball and approaches the dragon slowly, chirping at it as she does so. You’re not in the least bit surprised when she uses the move Life Dew on it in an attempt to make it feel better. You watch as the baby slowly turns its head to face her as she continues to chatter at it, indicating you every once in awhile. With hesitant steps the tiny dragon approaches you slowly and looks up at you, fear in its eyes. 

“I’m going to pick you up so I can take you to the Pokemon center okay? A nurse needs to look at those cuts.”

It looks away from you but lowers its head in acceptance. Your heart breaks as you pull it into your arms and turn around. Everyone is silent as they watch you carry the baby Pokemon away from them, its head buried in your chest, its breathing is erratic. You rush down the street, away from the crowd, and to the nearest Pokemon center which feels like it’s miles away. You burst through the doors and quickly explain the situation to the nurse on duty. After you hand the baby dragon over to her, you walk over to a corner and just sit, exhaustion encompassing your body. At one point, you become vaguely aware someone has handed you some food and a bottle of water, you eat it robotically and just keep your eyes on the doors hoping that at any moment you’ll hear some good news. 

You feel the moment that Leon and Raihan sit next to you, one on either side. You can feel the rage still radiating off of the two of them. 

“His trainer license has been revoked and he’s been disqualified from the competition,” says Leon in barely contained rage. 

“He’s never going to see Jango-o or his other Pokemon ever again,” growls Raihan from your other side. 

“Good… What’s going to happen to…”

You don’t get to finish your question as the light goes off and the nurse emerges with news of the pokemon. You are up in a flash and walk towards her. 

“How is…?”

“She? She’s doing just fine. She’s resting right now give her a moment and perhaps go try to see her? She seems to be relaxing a little bit despite what happened.”

“What’s going to happen to her?” you ask softly as you turn back towards the two men behind you. 

“Officially, she would go to my gym, since it’s a Dragon gym and it’s the sanctuary for Dragon types that need it,” Raihan supplies as he gets up to stand in front of you. 

“What then?”

“Well… when she’s ready she would get rehomed.”

“I see….”

“You want to keep her?”

You look up at him in shock, “What?”

“She deserves someone who is going to know her story, and you do… So who best to be with her than you?”

“I-I… Yes! If that’s what she wants…” you say with a relieved smile. 

He sends you his million dollar smile and ushers you into the room to see her. 

She’s curled up in a blanket resting, but starts the second she hears someone in the room. She whips her head around to see you standing in the doorway her scales clinking weakly. She regards you with caution as you slowly approach her, her eyes watching your every move. When you get close enough to her you just smile and speak softly to her. 

“I see that you are feeling better, that makes me so happy. Raihan just told me that… if you want… you can stay with me. You don’t have to go back to that mean boy.”

You watch as her head perks up at that and for the first time you see a spark in her eye and you hope that it’s not too late for her to be healed. You gently pick her up and cradle her in your arms. You hold her close to your body and she cuddles up against you. When you walk out, Raihan hands you her pokeball and you gaze down at it for a moment before you put it into the holder on your hip. 

“How about you head back to the inn, and I’ll pick up some take out?” Leon asks as he puts a hand on your shoulder. 

“That sound good…”

“Raihan, do you want to escort her back?”

He just nods before indicating you to follow him out the door. The trip to the inn is full of fans and reporters trying to find out what happened. What you didn’t know is that the League had roped off the center to keep the nosey media and masses out. Luckily, the inn is off limits to everyone who isn’t in the League today and other than a few curious competitors no one else really bothers you when you arrive. This, however, didn’t stop anyone from taking photos or video of the three of you. 

“You doing okay?” Raihan asks once you are both situated in your room, the baby dragon on your bed along with Serenity. The two had become fast friends and seemed to be talking up a storm. 

“Yeah… I’m just exhausted… The past 24 hours haven’t really stopped and I think the only thing I’ve really had to eat is sugar… Not doing the best at taking care of myself today…”

“What did you do? Eat cake for dinner?” he asks with a chuckle.

Your only reply is a sheepish glance over at him.

“You did, didn’t you?” he asks with a laugh. 

“Hey! It’s not my fault! I let Serenity pick what we were having!” you with say a playful smile. 

Serenity squeaks in indignation before chattering back at you. 

“No I supposed I didn’t do anything to stop it…”

She nods in satisfaction before turning back to her new friend. 

“She reminds me of Goodra when he was a Goomy.”

“Do you miss him being so tiny?” you ask with a laugh. 

“Sometimes?” he says laughing, “He liked to crawl into my lap when he was small and now sometimes he still tries to.”

“NO way!” you laugh. 

“Oh yeah… a couple hundred pounds of dragon will wake you up really fast.”

You laugh at the image of the purple dragon trying to sneak his way into Raihan’s lap on cold nights and just lose it. 

A knock on the door signifies that Leon is here with the food and your grateful when Raihan rushes to get the door for him. Leon has a literal mountain of take out and he puts the multitude of bags on the table. 

“Leon… that’s a lot…”

“I guess I got a bit carried away… I wasn’t sure what you would want, so I got some of everything!” he says as he rubs the back of neck with a glorious smile. 

“Thanks… I think…”

“I see Jangmo-o is doing better!”

“She is! She’s probably hungry…” you mutter as you pull the containers out and begin to divy food out for the pokemon before you. They happily tuck into the food and you watch in affection at your two partners happily munching on their food. 

“What are you going to name her?” Leon asks before taking a big bite of his own food.

“I haven’t really thought about it…”

“Something strong, she’s a dragon afterall,” Raihan mutters before stealing a bite of Leon’s food. He just answers Leon’s glare with a lazy grin. 

“I’ll figure something out…” you say through a yawn.

“You need to rest, you’ve had a rough day,” says Leon.

“It’s okay…”

“No, Leon’s right, you should rest up! Especially since tomorrow you start out on your adventure. You excited?”

“I am! I still have a few things I need to stock up on before I can head out though.”

“Are you heading to the wild area?” asks Leon. 

“That’s the plan… I need to round out my team before I start hitting up the gyms. Besides the wild ares is one of the best places to catch Pokemon!”

“Any Pokemon in particular that you are hoping for?” Raihan asks. 

“I have a couple in mind!”

“Want to share with the class, princess?” 

“Don’t even try with her Raihan! She’s keeping her team a secret for some reason!” Leon is obviously still offended that you refused to tell him your line up. 

“Oh lay off! Maybe I want to surprise you!”

“Surprise us? I can think of a few good surprises…” Raihan growls out. 

You smack his arm with a laugh and he grins at you.

“Very funny Raihan…”

“You’re the only one laughing, princess…”

“What’s with this ‘princess’ all of a sudden?”

“Dragons like princesses,” he says with a shrug. 

“Well too bad I’m the farthest thing from one.”

“I highly doubt that…”

“Oh no… It’s true… I’m far more queen than I am princess,” you say with a cheshire cat grin on your face. 

The two men just shake their heads, but have a hard time disagreeing, especially after what happened today.


	4. The Journey Begins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Your journey begins and you meet a new friend! Also tents can suck it!

The next morning you end up running around Motostoke attempting to get everything you need. The last of your savings is spent on a Flash phone and luckily your able to get the Pokedex on there along with a map of the region and all your trainer and Pokemon information. You then head to the center and stock up on medical equipment and pokeballs before going to the department store and getting a set of camping gear. 

“How?” you ask as you gaze down at your pack which is already bursting at the seams. 

“That’s a little full…” you yelp not expecting anyone to be standing behind you. 

You whip around and are met with sight of Sonia and Nessa. 

“Oh hey!” you exclaim as you smile at the duo. 

“Getting ready to head out?” asks Nessa with a small smile. 

“Yeah… I had to stock up on some things before I left but this seems excessive…”

“I’ll help you sort through your pack! But first, how do you feel about lunch to catch up?”

“That would be great but….”

“It’s on me! That equipment is expensive!”

“No! Sonia I can’t let you do that!” 

“It’s okay! I want to catch up! You can just get mine next time OR after you take Leon for all he’s worth. That prize money is nothing to shake a stick at!”

“Alright deal…”

“Well if she wasn’t… I was… I heard you took care of some asshole pokemon abuser yesterday and that deserves a free lunch at the least!” says Nessa. 

“Oh! Yeah… I guess the guys told you about that?”

“Nope! You’re all over the news and social media. Everyone is talking about the gym challenger who saved a Jangmo-o!”

“What? Really? Why?”

They laugh before each wrapping an arm through one of yours.

“Because your badass babe!” exclaims Nessa.

“Yeah! All the leaders and media outlets now have their eyes on you! You’re going to dominate this competition!” Sonia interjects. 

Despite not having seen Sonia in years, time just simply got away from the two of you, and having never met Nessa before, the three of you sit down like old friends at the local cafe. 

“So you’re going to have to tell me what happened…” Sonia starts after you all get your food. 

“With what?”

“All of this! You just disappeared! And now out of the blue Leon is endorsing you in the League! What happened?!”

“Well… I couldn’t find a sponsor…”

“That makes no sense… you were one of the best!”

“That’s what Leon said… no one was looking for what I had to offer I guess. I also got some bullshit reasoning too. I wasn’t pretty, cute, sweet or sexy enough. I was too smart… I didn’t have the right look… You name it, they said it… I tried for several years, the last one when I was eighteen… At that point I had someone tell me I was too old…”

“Seriously?” huffs out Nessa in anger. 

“Yep...So I moved to a small town that I could afford rent in and got a job at a cafe. That’s where Leon found me. He got lost and ended up at the cafe to get out of a storm. A week later I had a letter of endorsement.”

“I’m glad you’re finally getting your chance.”

“Thanks… I just hope he didn’t put his faith in me for no reason.”

“Oh stop that! You’re amazing. You’ve always been amazing. You’re going to kill this competition,” Sonia exclaims as she looks you in the eyes. 

“Thanks Sonia…”

“Of course! Besides at least you have a direction… I feel like a magikarp out of water sometimes…”

“Aren’t you working with your grandma?”

“Yeah… but I’m not sure if it’s what I want…”

“Why is that?”

“It’s overwhelming sometimes… plus that’s a pretty big pair of shoes to fill…”

“Ehh… you’re doing great! You’re just too hard on yourself,” argues Nessa. 

“She does great work, she just gets stressed out sometimes, mostly for no reason…”

“Oh hush!” Sonia exclaims in embarrassment at her friends praise. 

The three of you end up chatting for the next hour before you all say your goodbyes. 

“I can’t wait to see you at my gym! Go crush Milo for me girl!” Nessa yells as they watch you head down the steps into the Wild Area. 

“Oh don’t worry! He’s mine!” you yell back with a laugh. The lunch having significantly lifted your spirits and they helped you go through your pack, making it much lighter than before. 

“Oh boy…” you mutter as you gaze around the vast area before you. With a sigh you head off into the wild in search of your first new team member.

“Now… If I was a Bounsweet...where would I be hiding?” You gaze around the field before heading into the tall grass. You had never seen so many different types of pokemon in one place. Serenity took over most of the battling and after many run ins with several different types of pokemon that aren’t the one you’re looking for you find a...combee?”

You gaze in abject excitement at the honey bee pokemon with the little red dot. “A female combee…” you mutter as you approach her. She continues to buzz around a flower and you know that after the beating that Serenity has taken today you couldn’t risk sending her out. Gazing down at the only other pokemon you currently have with you, you pull it from your belt. 

“Davine!” you call as she pops out and looks up at you, “I have a favor to ask of you…”

Her Amber eyes are large and full of uncertainty, “Can you help me catch that combee?”

She gazes over at the pokemon idly hovering over a flower before she hesitantly nods. 

“Alright! Can you use headbutt on her?”

Nodding the tiny dragon approaches the combee, who doesn’t look perturbed in the least, in fact she looked more interested than anything. Gliding over she buzzes around Davine’s head and it’s almost amusing when Davine panics and just boops her on the head instead of using headbutt. The combee blinks in surprise before it almost looks as if she laughs before gently booping Davine back. The dragon flinches back but opens her eyes slowly as the bee just buzzes around her laughing as if she wants to play. 

“Whelp…this is my life now…” you say in exasperation as you pull a pokeball out of your pack and throw it at the combee. It shakes a few times before the red dot turns green and you pick it up from the ground. Letting the tiny bee out she blinks up at you in slight confusion before happily buzzing around your head. 

“Yeah… You’re going to be a great addition to the team,” you say with a laugh as the bee lands on your head. 

“We’re going to have to work on your confidence… but good job!” you say as you hand Davine a berry to eat. She gazes up at you in confused awe before hesitantly taking the treat from you. Holding up another berry you hold it while the bee, who has gotten quite comfortable on your head, nibbles on the berry. Calling out Serenity you hand her a berry as well and introduce her to the newest member of your team. 

“This is...hmm… we’re going to have to figure out a name for you…” you say indicating the tiny bee before you. She just buzzes happily around investigating her new friends. The three seem to have interesting personalities, but you think they will get along. Serenity is pretty calm, if not stubborn, whereas Davine is timid, but you have a feeling that there is so much more to her. Jangmo-o are proud by nature and you can’t wait to bring her confidence in herself back. The newest member of your party, your little combee, is cheerful but very curious. You have a feeling she’s going to get herself into a lot of trouble. 

The sun is setting on the wild area when you find a little alcove of rocks away from the wild pokemon roaming as well shelter from the wind. Glaring down at your tent you heave a sigh and pull out the instructions.

“I should have been trying to figure this out an hour ago… I’m going to lose light!” you grumble as you begin struggling with the tent. 

“Hold this,” you say as you hand Serenity one of the poles for the tent, “I thought they said it was a pop up!” 

“Need some help?” questions a voice from behind you. “Ouch! Hey!”

You let out a scream of surprise as you whip around to face the dragon gym leader now doubled over in pain. Davine looking somewhere between terrified and remorseful after her surprise assault on him. 

You can’t hold it in and start to laugh, “Are you okay?” you ask between fits of laughter.

“Are you really laughing at me after your pokemon just attacked me?!” he exclaims, but the smile on his face says he isn’t mad. 

“You scared her! And me! You deserve what you get!” you exclaim as you walk over to Davine and pick her up. You press her into your chest and gently run your fingers over her head to soothe her. 

“Tell her you're okay, she’s upset that she hurt you,” you say indicating the baby dragon in your arms. 

He just smiles down at her, “You didn’t hurt me, I’ve gotten accidently hit by my friends way too many times for that to even leave a scratch! I know you didn’t mean it.” He takes her gently from your arms and holds her to his chest. He begins to scratch her under her chin and before you know it, she has relaxed against him. 

“Is that a Drager Tamer trick?” you ask as you regard the two. 

“I can’t reveal all my secrets but yeah that’s one of them. Think of dragons like giant cats.”

“Huh… good to know… How did you find me by the way?”

“Nessa said that she saw you off into the wild area, and I decided I wanted to head to the Lake of Outrage to pick up a new partner. Then I decided to see if I could find you...besides I’m not Leon you know? I know how to find my way around.”

You just laugh at his explanation, “So does that mean you know how to set up a tent?”

“So you think you’re going to beat me and you can’t even set up a tent?” he teases. 

“Beating you and setting up a tent are two different life skills, do not mock me!”

He laughs at your explanation before he puts Davine down and walks over to you. 

“Come on, I’m teaching you how to put up a tent, but you cook dinner alright?”

“Demanding aren’t we?”

“Oh come on! If you cook for me, I get to rub it in Leon’s face that you did! Besides I bet you’re amazing,” he says with a wink. 

“Fine… teach me how to set up the tent and I’ll cook you dinner.”

Raihan walks over to the tent, putting a couple of poles in the corresponding pockets and then just pulls. The tent springs up practically on it’s own and you can only sit and stare with an open mouth. 

“That was so easy…”

“Yep…” he says with a shit eating grin. 

You just huff before you grab the pot out of your bag and set it on the makeshift fire pit you’ve already got set up. He just laughs at your annoyance before he calls his team out consisting of Flygon, Goodra and Duraludon. 

“Don’t forget my boys okay?” he says as he walks over to you and bumping into your side as you sort through all your ingredients. Holding up a pack of sausage, “How do you like spicy food?”

“Love it!” he says with a smile.

You just nod as you watch Davine scurry over to you and hide near you, she’s watching the dragon’s carefully. 

“Why don’t you go say ‘hi?’” you ask gazing down at the tiny dragon.

She clinks her scales together nervously as she regards them. 

“Okay, that’s fine… you can when you are ready.”

She ends up staying glued to your side while you work, whereas combee and Serenity walked up to Goodra and they seemed to be fast friends. 

“So how did today go? I see you caught a combee?”

“Yeah, it wasn’t your conventional catch, but I think she’ll make a great addition.”

“So you want a Vespiquen?”

“She’ll be super helpful against Milo since I may or may not be able to find a fire type.”

“Vulpix are pretty common around here…”

“I’ve always wanted a ninetails! They are so majestic!” you say with a laugh. 

“You would look good with one too. I can just see you posing for some magazine, Ninetails looking all haughty!”

You laugh as you think about being in a magazine, “Yeah...we’ll see… I’m trying to find a bounsweet so I can start training her up to take on Nessa.”

“Thought about Kabu yet? He’s tough when you’re first getting started.”

“I’ll figure something out…”

“Yeah you will!”

You raise your brow as you watch Davine walk towards the other pokemon. Goodra notices her first and approaches slowly, obviously happy she wanted to join in. He cooed at her softly and slowly she joins the others. 

“She’ll be okay…” he says noticing the way you watched the interaction. 

You turn and gaze at him, “I know… I just can’t help but worry…” you mutter as you add the chopped ingredients and put the rice on to cook. 

“Dragon’s are resilient, she’s going to bounce back, all she needs is you, princess,” he says as he winks at you. 

“Are we really back to the princess stuff?” you ask as you try to hide your smile. 

He shrugs, “What’s so wrong with wanting to call you princess? After all, there’s going to come a time when you are.”

“When I’m what?”

“My princess,” he says with a lazy grin. 

You roll your eyes and throw a berry at him, “Chop that up for me will you, Romeo?”

“See you already have a pet name for me too! It’s like we’re meant to be!”

He laughs as you throw another berry at him, “That one tooo!”

“Alright! Alright! So violent! Looks like you like things a little rough… I-”

“Raihan!” you interrupt him and he just bursts out laughing, but helps you chop up the berries anyway. 

“I thought you were going to make me dinner… Here I am helping you…”

“You want to eat tonight or not? Then chop the vegetables!” you ask as you add the sausage into pot and start stirring it. 

“Yes Ma’am! I love it when you take charge,” he growls out. 

You huff, but take the berries that’s he’s chopped and endeavor to hide your blush as you add them to the pot. 

You glance up at him and he’s watching you with a lazy smile, “Hey…” he muttered suddenly. 

“Yes?” you ask softly. 

“You made it through your first day.”

You smile at the thought, “I did…”

“Come on Princess… Let’s eat,” he says as he grabs plates and bowls out of his own pack and helps you divy up the food for the pokemon as well as yourselves. 

“Damn this might be the best curry I’ve ever had!” he exclaims as he takes his first bite. 

“You’re exaggerating it’s not that great!”

“What are you talking about? This is the best!”

You laugh quietly and thank him as you dig in yourself. You have to admit it’s really good and your pokemon seem to be enjoying it as well. You notice that Davine seems to be sticking pretty close to Goodra as the dragon chatters to it happily. 

“So you’re looking for a Bounsweet?”

“Yeah! I spent all day today looking for one, but had no luck…”

“They are usually in the Rolling Fields, check there tomorrow and I’m sure you’ll find one! Maybe even a vulpix!.”

“Thanks Raihan…”

“Yeah no problem...let me know if you need help finding another type-”

“No- I mean… thank you for that as well, but I mean, thank you for being here tonight. I can hardly believe I’m here, but it’s nice to not be alone out here.”

He chuckles, “No problem… do you want me to camp out here with you tonight? I can sleep out here if you don’t feel comfortable sharing the tent.”

“I don’t want to hold you up…”

“It’ll be fun! Like when I was on my journey, except now I get to play the hero if something happens.”

You shake your head and laugh at him, “thanks, and you can sleep in the tent if you want, it’s cold out here and I trust you.”

“Whatever you say princess…” he says with a smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for your comments and kudos! Tell me what you thought please on this chapter please! I love getting the chance to talk with you alll! Also what should the combee's name bee??? Give me your thoughts!


	5. A Moment's Notice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Raihan gets his chance to be a hero, but so do you.

You are woken from a deep sleep by a hard thump on your head. You jolt awake and glare down at the tiny antenna pokemon beside you. 

“What was that for?!” you exclaim in anger as you rub your sore head. 

Serenity just jumps around and points to the entrance of the tent. You go silent as you hear voices outside and your eyes widen at what they are saying. 

“If we can get our hands on that Jangmo-o, we can sell it to the underground ring for big bucks!”

You turn towards Raihan who is sleeping peacefully beside you and you begin to shake him awake. 

“Raihan!” you whisper as you shake him. 

“Hmm…?” he asks sleepily as he turns to you, “Whatsit?” 

You lean down so you are hovering over him to whisper in his ear, you don’t want them to know you are aware of them, “Thieves are here trying to steal Davine. They are outside of the tent!”

His eyes spring wide open and he looks up at you in shock before a look you’ve never seen, even during the toughest battles, adorns his face. This is the face of Raihan the Dragon Trainer. 

He sits up and grasps the pokeballs sitting beside him before he turns back to you. 

“You need to get out of here, while I take care of them. Try to get to the doors to Motostoke, okay?”

“Raihan… what if something happens to you?!”

“I’m going to be fine.”

“But-”

“Hey… I’m going to call Leon for back up, but who knows when he’s going to get here with his terrible sense of direction. Besides, I’ll be able to battle better knowing I can’t hurt you…”

You just nod in understanding as you call the frightened Jangmo-o back into her pokeball along with Queenie and Serenity. 

“Come on out you lovebirds! We know you’re in there!”

For just a moment you forgot that Raihan is second only to Leon in the League as the strongest trainer. When he calls out Duraludon and the dragon steps out of the tent you can’t help but feel a sense of satisfaction as he lets a dragon rage fly towards the thieves blocking your way out. 

“Go!” Raihan yells as they dive to the ground to keep from getting hit by the attack. 

Flygon is already out and helping it’s teammate with the pokemon they have now unleashed. A Weavile and a Malamar attack the two dragons. You just barely dodge the meaty hand of one of the men as you rush by. You kick out and catch him in the face as he swats at you. You hear him yell expletives behind you as you rush away. You’ve been running for a few minutes when shadows lurking in the distance send you to an abrupt stop. 

“Where do you think you’re going girlie?” questions a voice as two men step out of the shadows. 

“Just hand over the Jangmo-o and we’ll let you go...maybe…”

They both chuckle darkly as they call out their pokemon, a Deino and a Leipard. You don’t have time to think as you send out Serenity and Queenie. 

“Well, girls… we’re going to have to stop them...we don’t have a choice. I know I’m asking a lot of you both now… but we can do this.”

The two tiny pokemon just turn towards their opponents with fire in their eyes and give a determined nod. 

“Queenie, Sweet Scent! Serenity, Play nice!”

Both of your pokemon unleash their attacks as their opponents lung at them. They leap out of the way and you watch as Deino becomes confused as the scent of Queenie’s attack surrounds him. 

“What are you doing you stupid dragon?! Bite!”

“Liepard! Slash!”

Queenie Struggle bug! Go for the Liepard!” Queenie’s attack hits the dark cat, but doesn’t seem to do much damage. 

“Serenity Aromatherpy then Disarming voice!” The dragon is once again overwhelmed with the scent of the attacks before it is hit with Disarming Voice. You watch as the dragon panics while his trainer becomes more and more angry. 

“Liepard! Assurance! Go for the Hatenna!”

“Queenie Gust! Blow it away!”

Just as the Liepard is about to pounce on Serenity, Queenie assaults the cat with a whirlwind that hits it full force knocking it away and into a nearby rock. 

“Serenity Disarming Voice! Queenie Gust!” both of them attack the Liepard as it attempts to get up. It’s enveloped in blue light as it’s called back to its trainer. The Deino continues to attempt to get it’s bearings as it thrashes around in fear and panic. It doesn’t take you long to understand why either. With the screaming its trainer is doing you know instantly that it’s terrified of failing. 

“Serenity Play Nice!” you exclaim. You know your girl has a way of making other pokemon feel better at times. 

You turn to address the men standing before you, “Leave the Deino with me and don’t come back.”

“Tch… why would I do something like that?”

“Because you’re beaten.”

“Like hell I am!”

“Your partner is unable to battle because they’re the new meat, they only have one partner. And your Deino can’t battle me, it’s too easy to overwhelm him because you have no idea what you’re doing. You try to raise a dragon because they are big and scary, and yet you have no idea what it takes to actually do so. So just… put the pokeball on the ground and walk away.”

He glares at you, “Deino Dragon Breath!”

The Deino lets out a cry but just continues to search blindly for anything. He’s too disoriented from the earlier chaos. 

“Serenity, get me the pokeball.”

“What? Now you’re a little thief?”

You give him a smirk, “I’m not your average trainer…” You tilt your head to the side as you glare him down, “You came after me and my pokemon and yet you can’t control your own. If he continues in this state he’s going to start unleashing attacks then we are all in trouble.”

As if your words predict such an action, the blind dragon begins to fire off attacks left and right. One almost hits the man as he leaps back, looking afraid for the first time all night. 

A pokeball is suddenly floating right in front of you, holding out your hand it lands on your palm.

“Why you little!”

You give a low whistle as you gaze intently at the panicking dragon. 

“Serenity Life Dew,” you whisper. 

She unleashes the calming water into the air but otherwise stay at your side, staring down the two men before you along with Queenie. 

You let out another long low whistle and after a moment you watch as the Deino whips towards you. You leap out of the way of an attack and just ignore the laughter coming from your opponents. You let out another whistle and then another; each one long low and soft. After a few moments, the dragon begins to calm before it’s just standing in front of you. Reaching your hand out it sniffs it before biting down on it. You hold back a flinch and bring your other hand up to rest on its head. You slowly begin to stroke his head and neck while you whisper calming praise to him.

The moment he lets go you rest your hand on top of his head and giggle as you turn towards your opponents. You’re absolutely calm as you fix the men with an angry stare. 

“Deino, use Dragon breath, I’m quite done with this.”

The young dragon whips his head around to face its former trainer, teeth bared a long low growl rumbling in his throat. 

“What are you doing you stupid dragon! I’m not your opponent she is!”

“But am I? Do you honestly think that loyalty is born from harsh words and threats? Besides… he doesn't respect you… And why would he? You don’t understand him at all…NOW!”

Deino unleashes the attack and you can’t help but laugh as you realize that the first man had already left. Your opponent doesn’t dodge the attack and it hits him in the leg, he goes down with a yowl of pain. You and Deino walk towards him, you stop a few feet away and before the man can get up, Serenity hits him over the head with one of her tentacles, knocking him unconscious.

You drop to the ground in exhaustion, but can’t help the smile as Serenity and Queenie rush towards you. Queenie lands happily on your head and Serenity jumps into your lap. Deino looks around as if unsure of what to do. With a slight smile, you pull a berry from your bag and hold it out towards the pokemon before you. He sniffs the air before walking towards you and sitting down next to you. He takes the berry from your hand and munches on it while you all wait for someone to arrive. A moment later, your phone rings and the Rotom phone flies around your head before showing Leon on the screen. 

“(YOUR NAME)! Are you alright?! What’s going on?! Where are you?!” exclaims Leon the moment you answer. 

“Damnit (Your name)! I told you to go to the city!” Raihan yells you can hear the panic in his voice, you know he isn’t mad. 

“Well… I got held up Raihan…” you indicate the unconscious man on the ground and Rotom whips around to show them the sight before you. 

“And to answer your questions Leon… I’m fine and I’m near the… I don’t know… large rocks near the gate? Hell if I know!” 

Deino nuzzles your cheek and begins to sniff you looking for more food. 

“Is that a Deino? When did you get a Deino?” asks Raihan in confusion obviously calmer knowing that you are okay. 

“It’s a long story… I basically stole him…”

“You...stole him?” asks Leon.

You just shrug, “Yeah from the pokemon thief… so it’s not like it counts!”

Both men blink at you through the phone before simultaneously asking, “How?!”

“I’ll explain later… could you just like… arrest this guy?” They both nod in bewilderment before they start off to find you. A little while later Charizard is landing next to you while Leon and Raihan round a corner and race towards you. 

You’re a little surprised when Leon pulls you into a hug, you land against his solid body with an ‘oomph’ before your arms go hesitantly around him. 

“I’m fine Lee…” you say softly as you feel him squeeze you tighter before he pulls away. Raihan pulls you towards him a moment later, your more prepared for his hug and just hug him back. 

“So what? Are you trying to take my spot in the league princess? Trying to be a Dragon trainer?”

“It was… accidentally on purpose?” you say with a shrug. 

You raise your brow as the dark dragon lifts his nose into the air and walks off as you begin to explain the events of what just happened to the boys. A moment later, you hear a small cry and notice Deino walking back over towards you with a large berry in its mouth…

“Where did you get that?” you ask as you watch the dragon walk back over towards you. Suddenly, you notice…

“It’s a...bounsweet?! Drop it! No! Deino! Drop her now!” You exclaim as you rush towards the dragon and attempt to pry its jaws off the berry-like pokemon. After he has let her go you heave a sigh as you drop to the grass again before digging in your bag for a pokeball. The Bounsweet is pouting on the grass looking offended and ruffled as you lightly toss it at her. 

“Well you got your Bounsweet!” exclaims Raihan as you heave a sigh when the light turns green. 

“I have a headache is what I have…” 

Calling out Davine and your newest member you can’t help but look at your current party with a light laugh. 

“Decent lineup so far!” says Raihan as he plops down on the grass beside you. 

You wince as Deino sniffs Davine before chomping down on her nose making the baby dragon cry out in shock and surprise. She rushes to you and climbs into your lap regarding the other dragon with disdain. 

“You’ve got your hands full…” says Leon as he sits on your other side. 

You throw your head back, “It’s sooo unbalanced! I’ve got to get some type variety!”

“If we find you a Vulpix tomorrow will you feel better?” asks Raihan, the sun is starting to peek up over the horizon, casting a golden glow on the handsome man beside you. 

“You always did want a Vulpix… And a...snorunt!” Leon says from your other side. 

“I’ll have to train them in rotation… Especially since Davine needs to grow her confidence and Deino needs to learn… a lot of things...He was way too easily distracted and overwhelmed…”

“Sounds like you have a plan,” Raihan says as he turns and rests his back against you making you sag under his weight.

“What are you doing?! Get off of her! She’s had a long night!” Leon says in annoyance as he turns and punches his friend in the arm. 

“What?! I’m tired! I spent half the night battling Pokemon thieves while you were just lost!”

“You were in the middle of the wild area! All the ‘big rocks’ look the same!”

“Whatever… You’re just mad that I got to spend the night with (Name)! She cooked me dinner and everything!” He says as he wraps his arms around you and nuzzles into your neck. 

“Y-you cooked him dinner?” Leon asks betrayed as he looks over at you. 

“Yes? It’s not like we… did anything Leon…it was just curry...and camping!”

Leon set his mouth in a firm line, “Still! It’s hardly acceptable for a lady to share a tent with some… hooligan… and I told you to get off of her!”

“Hooligan?! What are you an 80-year-old lady?! You wear leggings under shorts bro…. You’re hardly the epitome of class…” Raihan says as he sits up and turns back towards his friend? Rival?

Leon huffs in annoyance at him, “There is nothing wrong with how I dress…”

“Of course not…” you say as you pat him on the shoulder. 

Leon turns and regards you with wide-eyed betrayal again. 

“I come to your rescue and this is how you repay me? With betrayal?”

“I actually rescued myself…,” you say indicating the unconscious man a few feet away from you all, “but thank you for that.”

“Yep! Now that the princess has me in her life…”

“Don’t finish that… You’ll hurt his feelings and I don’t want to see him cry…” you interrupt Raihan with a sly look. 

“I am not going to cry!” yells Leon in indignation. 

“You look a little watery-eyed…” Raihan says as he drapes himself over you again and points at Leon, that lazy smile back on his face.

“Raihan you are literally the size of a Pangoro… Get off!” you groan as you attempt to roll the male off of you. 

“Come on princess! I’m tired! We should get a room at the Budew Inn and sleep for a bit! What do you say?”

“I’m the one who flew here in the middle of the night!”

“And I defended her honor!”

You abruptly stand up, “Could you guys just like deal with this dude? I’m heading back to my tent.”

The rest of your team gets up to follow you. Deino is snapping at Queenie as she buzzes around his head, she seems to be laughing to herself as she does so. Davine is still displeased about the newest member and is quietly whining to you as she drapes herself over your shoulder as you carry her. Your new Bounsweet waddles along beside Serenity, she seems to be filling her in on what is going on.

“Ugh Princess? About your tent…”

“What about my tent Raihan?”

“It might or might not… be destroyed…”

“Well… which is it?”

“It is…”

You let out a groan of frustration. 

“I’m going to buy you a new one!”

“A better one!” exclaims Leon. 

“A better one!” agrees Raihan. 

You heave a sigh, “You better… that thing wasn’t even a full day old yet!”

You pout as you turn around and head back towards the two men. When you reach them, Leon wraps an arm around you as you all begin to head back to the steps of Motostoke. You huff every once in a while in annoyance, but otherwise, don’t say anything. Leon and Raihan are talking about what needs to be done about the upsurgence in thief, and the only thing you want is breakfast and a nap. 

Once you get back to the city you notice the crowd of people around the gate and shake Leon’s arm off your shoulder. 

“There they are!” you hear someone yell from the crowd. A moment later flashes are going off all around you, media outlets are storming the three of you and you feel a thrill of panic go up your spine. 

The next thing you know a microphone is being shoved at the three of you. Leon and Raihan take care of most of the questions, but despite your best efforts, you can’t escape the crowd. 

“So did you rescue this challenger?” one of the reporters ask. 

“She didn’t really need much rescuing...l by the time we were done taking care of the thieves we were dealing with, she had already handled two of them on her own. 

“You took on two of them at once? How exciting! You must have been terrified!”

“I didn’t really have time to be, I just knew that if I didn’t win they would take my pokemon and I wasn’t about to let that happen.”

“An act of desperation then! How exhilarating! And to battle alongside the champion!”

“I didn’t battle alongside him… He didn’t show up where I was until the battle was over.”

“So you were all by yourself taking on pokemon thieves!?”

“Yes… that’s what I said…”

“Ok! Enough questions for one day! We need to get the thieves to the police and after such an exciting night, rest is in order! Thank you for your support today!” Leon interrupts as he steps between you and the reporter. You can tell she’s displeased when her interview is cut short, but she isn’t about to argue with Leon. 

Raihan lightly brushes your arm to get your attention then motions for you to follow him. He takes you to the police station where you give your statement to them. Turns out you helped to capture a branch of pokemon thieves that have been terrorizing the area for a while now. The police take Deino from you in order to try to get information about the pokemon or its former owner 

“Well… just like I thought… This pokeball has been wiped clean, or never even had information attached to it to begin with. It’s not uncommon for certain breeds to just be handed out to underlings. It may not even have an official trainer… Anyway, since he seems to like you, you are welcome to keep him. I’ll go ahead and register you as his trainer if you would like?”

You just nod as you hand your trainer information over to the handsome detective. 

“Getting squared away?” Asks Raihan as he walks up behind you. He had just finished tying up a few loose strings involving the attack. 

You turn to him, “Yep! Deino will now belong to me!”

“Do you want to give him a nickname? Now’s the time!”

You think for a moment before you nod happily with your choice, “Hades.”

“Oh! Nice choice! King of the underworld huh?”

You just shrug, “It’s fitting for my majestic dragon.”

Your phone buzzes alarming you to a message from Leon saying he’s gotten everyone a room at the Budew Inn. Grateful for some rest you and Raihan head to the inn where Leon is waiting outside. 

“Come on… Let’s get you to bed.”

“Bro! You can’t just ask a girl to bed like that! You have to woo her first!”

“I mean… at least buy me breakfast…”

Leon blushes as he sputters out a response, “I was not! You know that’s not what I meant!”

“I’m just kidding Leon, I know you would at least buy me lunch first…”

He rolls his eyes as he directs you down the hallway to your rooms. Raihan is the first one to claim a room then you get to yours. 

“Hey…” you say softly as Leon is about to head into his own, “thanks for coming to get me…”

He gives you a soft smile, “Anytime…”  
And he meant it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe the reaction that I got last time! All of your comments are wonderful and thank you for sending Kudos! I love hearing from you all so please keep it up! Maybe you'll even get another chapter!


	6. Unexpected Issues

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You get a taste of fame and you don't like... Also, Leon starts to make his move and old feelings are ignited.

You wake up a few hours later from your nap with your face all over the internet. A few major networks had picked up the story and now you were the mysterious challenger that helped Leon and Raihan. Several of the articles speculated about your relationship with the duo. Even more were asking questions they had no business knowing the answer to. 

“Oh… shit...” you say as you gaze down at your phone. 

“It’s going to be fine! Trust me!” 

“There are articles speculating about our relationship Raihan!”

“So?”

“You may be used to the spot Mr. Gym Leader, but I am not! Plus what if I don’t make it through the challenges? I’ll be humiliated! What’s worse… every move I make is about to be documented! Oh… I need to sit down…”

“Oh!” Leon grabs a chair and sets it behind you just as you fall back, breaking your fall.

“Something will be more interesting tomorrow, I promise! Staying in the spotlight takes work! Although, you may want to keep the attention on you. Even if you don’t end up winning the League, having sponsors to endorse you is a great source of income. You could do a lot with the money from those.”

“Really?”

“Yeah… Do you think I wear this cape for the fun of it?” Leon asks as he indicates the logos on his infamous cape. 

“I guess I never thought of it… I always just thought it was gaudy…”

Leon sputters but doesn’t reply and just goes back to his lunch looking a little crestfallen. 

“I’m sorry Lee… That was mean… I’m just a little stressed but that’s no reason to be rude.”

Leon looks up in surprise and gives you a smile, “It’s okay, I know this is new for you.”

You pull yourself a little closer to the table the men are sitting at and rest your head on it. You feel someone begin to rub your back while another played with your hair. You feel yourself relax after a few seconds and heave a deep breath. 

“I’ve just… been invisible for so long I don’t know if I know how to do this….” you say in a small voice. 

“Just be you and they are going to love you, you don’t have to do anything else,” Leon says as he wraps an arm around you and pulls you into his side. 

“Yeah,” Raihan says as he lays his head on the table to catch your eye, “You’re going to kill the competition and become famous anyway, you’re just getting a head start,” he says with a wink. 

“But the RUMORS!” you wail, “I don’t want people to think that I’ve made it because I’m sleeping with the champion or one of the gym leaders! OR BOTH!” You say with wide eyes.

“At least it’s the most handsome gym leader…”

“No that’s Piers,” you say without missing a beat. 

Raihan’s mouth falls open in offense before he screws it up into a pout. 

“Oh… I’ve seen that face before… I’ve offended it…” you say with a Chesire cat-like smile. 

“I thought we had something special… Now I know you just want me for my body.”

You shake your head while you chuckle and just roll your eyes, “You caught me…”

Raihan sends you a lazy smile, “There she is…”

“It’s going to be fine…” you hear Leon say as he regards you with that sweet look you’re beginning to associate with him.

“I’m going to have to do some training…” you mutter as you pick up your fork and begin to play with your food absentmindedly. 

“Oh that’s right you still need to complete your team!” exclaims Leon, “This is going to be fun!”

“What is?”

“Helping you complete your team, and training them up! It will be just like when I was first starting out with Charizard… except he was a Charmander at the time…”

“Umm...Lee… what are you talking about?”

“I’m going to go with you.”

“Umm… No, you’re not,” you say slowly. 

“I am. You had a run-in with a major criminal ring and they made you a target. They will try again to get Davine and you took one of their pokemon, you don’t think they aren’t going to want it back?”

“But...NO! I need to do this by myself, Leon! Also, your fans will have an actual Miltank if they know you’re traveling with me!”

“I’m leaving the uniform and cape at home and I’m just going to wear regular clothes.”

“You don’t think the rest of you is going to give away that you’re...YOU?!” You can feel your anger starting to build

“I think you need to calm down…”

“Bro...No,” Raihan says as he puts a hand on Leon’s shoulder to quiet him, “Don’t say that…”

“Calm down? You think I need to ‘calm down?’” you ask in a dangerous tone. 

“Oh… I’ve made a mistake haven’t I?” Leon asks as he glances over his shoulder at his friend.

“Oh yeah…”

“Leon, I have waited my ENTIRE life for this moment, okay? I have literally worked at a dead-end job just to make ends meet and I have one shot at doing this right. ONE! I will NOT have anyone think I am any less deserving than every other challenger in this competition, OR that I am getting special treatment!”

“How does keeping you safe from an actual threat ruin these chances?”

“You’re the champion, okay? Everyone loves you, women adore you and they get vicious when they feel like someone is getting too close to their idol. They don’t care why you are with me Leon, the only thing they will see is a threat to their imagined relationship with you. And they are vicious. They would have no issue ruining me.”

“What if something happens to you? I’ll never forgive myself if you get hurt! This is more than just rumors on the internet, this is your life.”

“Leon… I need you to just trust me okay? I’m going to take a few days and do some training, you can hang around while I do that, but once I officially hit the first gym you need to make yourself scarce.”

Leon looks displeased at your terms but nods reluctantly, “I understand… I’ve got some business to take care of, I’ll see you when it’s time to head out,” his voice is chilly.

With that, the champion gets up and leaves, the door shutting behind him feels more final than it is. 

You slump into a chair and run your hands down your face before you begin massaging your head. 

“He’s not giving up is he?”

“Nope.”

“Ugh!”

“We’re just worried about you is all… That’s why we’re coming with you…” Raihan says as he casually takes another bite of his sandwich. 

“We?”

He sends you a predator-like grin, “You don’t think I’m going to let him get the jump on me, do you?”

You just narrow your eyes, “What does that mean?”

His smile turns suddenly innocent, “Nothing princess…”

“Ummm hmmm…” You hum in disbelief. 

It’s about an hour later when Raihan leads you down the street to the nearest store so he can replace your tent. 

“Ah! This one will work!” he says as he points up at one, the store clerk helping you nods before he goes to the back to get the appropriate tent. 

“Raihan… That’s huge…” 

“Yeah! It even has a divider so you can have your own space, but we’re still right there!”

You frown at the fact that you don’t have a say in this. 

“Come on, Princess! It’s not going to be that bad, okay? Once we’re out of the city and on the road it’s going to be much harder for anyone to find us. It’s not going to be as big of a deal as you think…”

“Don’t you guys have responsibilities?”

“Look… Those guys will come back and there will be more of them. They aren’t going to be easy to take on yourself, the sheer number Leon and I had to deal with was insane. You didn’t see it okay? You don’t know how many of them there are. It’s not that we don’t trust you, or think your capable, but we’re not going to let anything happen to you okay? So like it or not, we’re coming with you.”

You heave a sigh and tilt your head back, but you know he’s right. 

“Damnit…”

“You get it now?”

“I’m going to have to apologize to Leon...again…” you huff as you follow Raihan up to the counter to pay. He picks up a few other things that he and Leon will undoubtedly need. You realize that it’s been years since the two have traveled on foot between the towns. 

“It’s going to be fun!”

“I just wish I could go by myself… I feel like I’m going to be missing out on the experience.”

“Nah… You have a good bond with your pokemon. They love you and will do anything for you. Having a few friends along for the ride will be fine. Plus you’ll have the best trainers in the league to give you pointers!”

“I guess…” you mutter in annoyance. 

“We’re going to have to stock up on more food… We should probably head to the store as well…” you think aloud. 

Raihan chuckles as he grabs the bags from the clerk, “That’s the spirit!”

You let a small smile crawl onto your face, it’s hard to be upset for long with Raihan around. He has an easy-going and playful nature that keeps you happy. His energy is one of the reasons he’s so great at what he does. 

After you pick up groceries, two of you meet back up with Leon at the Budew Inn. He’s not wearing his cape anymore and his usual snapback has been changed out for a different one, one that is solid black. He’s wearing a pair of black pants with a white button-down and a black jacket over it. 

“Nice…” you say as you look him over in appreciation. 

He gives you a smirk, “Not gaudy?”

You roll your eyes with a smirk as you walk over to him, “You’re still a dead giveaway, but it will have to do…” 

He smiles proudly at your compliment nonetheless. 

“Damn… I’m going to have to go up my game! I’m heading to change, I’ll be back in a second,” Raihan murmurs with a smirk as he passes the two of you, sending you a wink. 

“Listen… Leon...I-”

“I know.”

“Huh?”

“I know you didn’t mean to get mad, and this isn’t what you expected your journey to be like… I’m sorry that you don’t get to have the carefree experience we did when we were kids. I just… can’t stand the thought of something happening to you, especially if I can do something to stop it,” he says as he takes a step towards you, his hands resting on your arms as he rubs up and down. 

“You know… I always figured we would have had so much fun on our journey…” you say as you think back to all the battles the two of you had together when you were younger. A deep sense of regret washes over you, you adored Leon when you were younger. Do you still?

“Maybe this is just our second chance?” Leon asks as he gives you a smile.

“Yeah… I think it is…” you say as you gaze up into his eyes. 

Raihan comes downstairs wearing a pair of navy track pants with a black tank under a different dragon inspired hoodie. 

“How do I look, princess?”

“You look great Raihan,” you say with a soft giggle as you pull away from Leon. You regard both men standing before you and shake your head at the two of them. They just have no idea how to be discreet is all. 

“Stop showing off! She doesn’t care what you look like!” you hear Leon say as he walks up behind you. 

“What do you mean? Of course, she cares!”

“This is going to be a long journey, isn't it?” you ask no one as you walk out the door of the inn. The two bickering men rush out behind you as you just head back towards the wild area. 

“Why does it feel like I’m starting my journey over?” questions Raihan as he follows behind you. 

“It’s the excitement! For the first time in years, I think I know what freedom feels like,” laughs Leon as he stretches his arms above his head.

“Yeah I guess you two are pretty busy aren’t you?” you ask as you glance behind you. 

“It’s not something you really notice until it’s been like two weeks and you haven’t had a day off…” Says Raihan as he looks out over the grassy field a wistful look on his face. 

“So! What are we looking for?” asks Leon taking in his surroundings like it’s the first time he’s ever seen them. 

You glance back at them and realize that they need this adventure just as much as you do. 

“Honestly… at this point, I would like to round my team out… I’ve got a psychic type that will evolve into a psychic/fairy type, a dragon/dark type, a bug/flying type, a dragon that will evolve into a dragon/fighting type and a grass type.”

“So… a fire type would be good…” muses Leon. 

“What about a water type? We could do some fishing!”

“Let’s just see what happens…” you murmur as you roam across the wild area. 

You spend the day training your team while Leon and Raihan let their own team out to stretch. The two end up having mock battles while you explore and while you don’t think they are paying you any attention, they are never too far away. 

Your current goal is to get Queenie battle-ready for Milo. So you have paired her up with Arum, your newly acquired Bounsweet. You’ve also paired up Hades with Serenity hoping that by helping him to focus through sounds and smells he will become a more confident battler. Davine just remains by your side watching the teams battle with uncertain curiosity. By the end of the day, you are surprised by the strides your team has made. Hades though not perfect, was able to remain calmer than before during the onslaught of attacks by Serenity. And Queenie, as to be expected of her typing, is growing rapidly. Arum is adjusting to her friends and seems to have become fast friends with Serenity already, the two huddle together and chirp back and forth to one another happily.

Setting up camp that night is a relaxing affair, and you have to admit that outside of the city and away from the crowds, the problems that seemed so large this morning seem so insignificant now. Raihan sets up the new tent while Leon gathers wood for the fire. His Charizard lights the wood aflame and you pull out the cooking utensils to get to work. Queenie is hovering around the pot as you slowly stir the broth and Hades is snapping at the ingredients you have laid out on the counter. Leon’s Haxorus is suddenly hovering over the pot as well watching more politely as you cook. You chuckle as he gently scolds Hades when he steals an oran berry from the pile. You aren’t surprised when Queenie notices Flygon and flies over to investigate the dragon as he hovers over his trainer helping with the tent. Davine is curled up next to Goodra while he talks with Leon’s Dragapult. You feel a sense of peace come over you and you can’t help but feel happy. Far happier than you have felt in many years. 

When the tent is set up Raihan is behind you leaning over you as you stir the curry. You aren’t expecting the moment he discreetly whispers in your ears, “Everything looks delicious, especially you,” his lips brushing against the shell of your ear. You fight the blush as you swat him away, he gives you a devious smile and a laugh as he goes to cook the rice. You don’t notice the frown that mars Leon’s face at the interaction or the smirk Raihan sends his way. 

When dinner is ready you divvy out the food and everyone sits down around the fire as a chill haunts the night air. 

“I haven’t done this in forever…” Leon says as he gazes into the fire. 

“It’s relaxing, isn’t it? Like going back to your roots,” Raihan supplies before he takes large bite out of his food. 

You lean back against the fallen log you are sitting against and just take the moment in. Your pokemon are cuddled up around you, and while you are eager for them to grow and become stronger, this quiet moment is one you cherish. For once everyone, including the bickering hooligans Leon and Raihan, is quiet and you love it. 

The silence is broken by a soft cry. 

“Do you hear that?” you ask as the cry becomes louder.

“Yeah… Is it a pokemon?”

“If it is, it’s young!” you say as you get up. Serenity is already on your shoulder her little antenna twitching every now and then. She lets out a cry and points towards the right. 

You set off into the darkness, Charizard’s tail lighting the way as you search for the pokemon making such a sound. You blink in surprise when you come upon a Toxel crying out in the darkness. You walk over to the baby pokemon and crouch down in front of it. 

“You probably shouldn’t touch it,” Leon says as he crouches down next to you.

“But what if it needs help?!” you ask.

“Don’t worry… we’re not going to leave him here.”

“Here!” Raihan says as he pulls off his hoodie and hands it over to you. 

You wrap the hoodie around the small pokemon and lift him into your arms. It stops crying out and just gazes up at you before snuggling against you drifting off to sleep. You blink down at it in confusion.

“It… fell asleep…”

“Well… at least we know you’re going to be a good mom?” questions Leon, as he helps you to your feet. 

“I guess? That was anticlimactic...” you mutter as you begin to make your way back to camp. 

“Are you going to keep him? He would be a great addition to your team.” Raihan asks as he watches the baby pokemon over your shoulder. 

“How do you know it’s a boy?” you ask. 

Raihan chuckles before he points down indicating that it is, in fact, a male. 

“...Oh…”

Once you get back to camp you head over to your bag and gently tap the pokemon on the head with the pokeball. He doesn’t even wake up as his data is downloaded into the device. 

“It would be nice if I could just… catch a pokemon the traditional way for once…” you huff as you gaze up at the duo on either side of you. 

Both men just shrug in reply before they start cleaning up the area. You put the sleeping pokemon in the tent and help them. Once everything is completed for the night you all pile into the tent. 

“Raihan this thing is huge!” you exclaim as you gaze around the huge tent. 

“Yeah well… I’m a grown man who needs his space from other grown men… You’re welcome on my side of the tent anytime you want though,” Raihan says with says a smirk. 

You roll your eyes at him, but you can’t help but be enchanted by the homey tent. There were separate ‘rooms’ with zippable dividers. Lanterns hung from the ceiling and the floor had sleeping bags along with extra pillows and blankets. 

“Raihan! How did you fit all of this into your pack?!” 

“It’s all collapsible,” he says with a shrug, “Plus only the best for my princess.”

Leon rolls his eyes in annoyance at his rival as he picks a corner and starts to set his own area up. 

You huff as you set up your stuff into your own corner before grumbling to yourself, “Why is it so chilly?” 

A moment later, a blanket is draped around you, “Here, I have an extra one that you can have.” 

Leon wraps the blanket around you, pulling you into him before he rubs your arms with hands to generate heat. 

“Here I’ll finish setting up for you while you get warm. I’ll see about getting an electric blanket tomorrow.”

“Oh? Leon you don’t have to do that!”

“Nonsense! I can’t have you getting sick on me!”

You gaze at Leon’s strong back and feel your face heat up before you chide yourself. 

‘He’s just being nice! I can’t do that to Sonia…’ you think to yourself. 

“Then again… if you don’t want the electric blanket… there are other ways to keep you warm…” Leon mutters in your ear as he passes you by. 

Your eyes widen and you let out a squeak. 

“Well good night guys!” you exclaim as you reach up and turn the lamp off. You practically dive into your sleeping bag and bury your face into your pillow. Suddenly, you don’t feel so cold anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Your continued support means soooo much to me! This was kind of a filler chapter, but I hoped you enjoyed it nonetheless! Also baby needs a name! What do you have for me?!?! Please let me know your thoughts I love hearing from each and every one of you!


	7. No Mercy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You find a new friend and win a gym badge. The boys are being patient for now... but someone's got to make a move soon...

You are woken by a yelp and practically leap out of your sleeping bag. You turn around in enough time to see Leon pry his hand out of Hades’ mouth. 

“Hades!” you yelp as you get up and rush to Leon. 

“Did he get you good?” you ask as you grab his hand to inspect it. 

You don’t notice the blush on Leon’s face or the way he smiles at your concern. 

Leon chuckles as he inspects his own hand, “I don’t think so… I guess that’s what I get for trying to feed him…”

“He’s a little overzealous with food… I don’t know that they properly fed him in that ring…” you say forlornly as you gaze over at the dragon behind you. He has burrowed his head under a blanket in an attempt to hide from you. Even though it’s been two weeks since the attack and you’ve been working with him and Davine the two dragons have a long way to go. 

Leon shakes off the bite before he walks over to the young dragon and pats him on the back. 

“It’s okay buddy… You didn’t get me too bad…” he says softly as he soothes the dragon. 

Hades pulls his head from under the blankets and nudges Leon happily. You smile at the two of them before you look around the mostly empty tent. 

“Where’s Raihan?” you ask noticing his empty sleeping bag. He’s usually the last one up, but he’s nowhere to be found. 

“He’s taking his Pokemon out. His Flygon was being a little antsy.”

“Ahh… I see…” 

The two of you clean the camp up quickly, you’re pretty excited to get on the road. Today you leave the Wild Area and head up towards Route 3 in order to get to the Mines. After two weeks of training, you were ready to win a gym badge. 

Once Raihan returns the green dragon comes fluttering up to you and nuzzles you. You chuckle as you pet the top of his head. 

“Alright...alright… stop sucking up to the lady! She needs her space,” Raihan says with a laugh before calling the dragon back. He walks over to you and hands you a flower he found on his walk.

“For the lady,” he says with a smile as he presents it you. 

You giggle as you take it and quietly thank him, you stick the flower in your hair before you show it off.

“Beautiful! I’ll have to get you more flowers to put in your hair…” he says with a sly glance over to Leon. 

The three of you set out towards Motostoke so you can pass through the city. You’re pretty excited to be heading that way since you’re a little tired of curry. You end up stopping at the battle cafe to eat lunch and you’re relieved when no one seems to pay the two celebrities with you any attention. The visit is quick, you all take your teams to the Pokemon center and stock up on supplies while you wait for them to be ready to go. 

It’s around one in the afternoon when you start out on route three. The sound of Rookidee chirping fills the air and you chuckle as you notice trainers battling along the trail. It’s not long before a girl about seventeen asks for a battle and you indulge her. She sends her Vulpix out and you send out Axel, your Toxel.

The baby Pokemon is pouty and honestly isn’t that great at battling yet. He really just spits out acid and flails around. Even after you win against the vulpix, by some miracle, he just runs up to you and begs to be held. You pick him and let him ride on your back while you continue down the path. 

“You’re spoiling him…” sighs Leon.

“He’s a baby! What do you expect!” You say in defense. 

You’ve been walking for a few hours, casually battling other trainers when it begins to sprinkle. You glance up at the sky in annoyance, but otherwise, keep walking. Suddenly the sky opens up and a torrent of rain falls down upon you. You gasp and attempt to throw your hands over your head to protect yourself from the rain. A moment later, a piece of clothing is thrown over your head and you pull it up noticing the familiar smell of Raihan. He had thrown his hoodie over you to protect you from the rain. 

You’re surprised when you hear laughter coming from behind and look back to see Leon laughing as he runs through the rain. His mane is soaked and plastered to his shoulders. Raihan is running along beside him and you aren’t surprised when you hear Raihan challenge Leon to a race. You roll your eyes as the duo takes off down the pathway racing one another as they go. 

You slow to a jog as you watch them show off ahead of you, but the sound of raindrops hitting the ground is soothing in and of itself. You stop and gaze up at the sky and just enjoy the moment of freedom. You’ve won several battles today and your team is growing stronger. You’re thankful…

A soft whine cuts the air and you glance around at your surroundings. It takes a moment but you recognize huddled up under a bush is a Charmander. Your eyes widen as you notice the way he clutched the end of his tail where his flame was growing smaller by the minute. 

“LEE! RAI! Set up the tent! We have a problem!”

The guys stop and glance back down the trail at you as they watch you rush over to a bush. You hear them yell various questions as they run back to you. 

“Hurry! He needs to him dry!” You yell as you indicate the Charmander you are shielding from the rain. 

“We have to hurry! He won’t last long!” Leon yells over the rain.

The wind begins to pick up and you aren’t surprised when the guys unleash a few of their Pokémon to help set the tent up in the nearby clearing. They have it up in record time and you scoop the tiny lizard up in your arms careful of his flame and run into the tent. The wind picks up and the once calm rain is now an actual monsoon. 

You grab a couple of blankets out of your pack and start drying him off. He gazed up at you in confusion, but you already know he isn’t from the wild. There weren’t any wild Charmander in the area, he is either lost or he was released. 

You dig around in your pack and pull out several berries and allow him to eat his fill. He does so happily giving little grumbles of happiness as he munched on them. 

“How do you think he got here?” Questions Raihan as he rubs under his chin.

“Do you think he has a trainer? They aren’t native to this area… they aren’t even in the wild…” Leon says in worry, obviously thinking of his own friend at his side.

“You don’t think he was abandoned do you?” You ask as you gaze down at him.

The Charmander looks up at you forlornly and turns to face away from you. He gives a soft cry before he takes a bite of the oran berry clutched in his little claws.

“Did someone release you, buddy?” You ask softly.

The tiny lizard nods as he looks down at the ground and curled his tail closer to himself. You frown in confusion, who would release a Charmander? Especially when Leon has a Charizard… The demand for the little fire lizard skyrocketed after he became champion several years ago. 

“Ok… Let’s just wait out the storm okay and we can decide what needs to happen in the morning.”

You all end up eating sandwiches because the storm never lets up. It’s at this point you are incredibly grateful to Raihan and his industrial-grade tent. The water doesn’t seep into the tent, so you are all able to get changed into dry clothes and be comfortable. You’ve let your team out of their Pokeballs and they are roaming around the tent, being adorable nuances. Serenity and Arum are curious about the Charmander and meander over to him to keep him company. Hades is rather fond of Raihan and is spending this evening getting spoiled by the dragon trainer. You are forever amused by the fact that Queenie enjoys hanging out on Leon’s snapback, balancing herself perfectly so she can watch whatever it is that he is doing at the moment. Currently, he’s polishing his Aegislash and Queenie is happily keeping him company. Davine’s favorite place is usually curled up next to you and Axel enjoys rolling the ball back and forth. You aren’t surprised when Serenity comes bounding up to you and takes her usual spot on your head; Arum and Charmander aren’t far behind. They end up making themselves comfortable near you and you curl up to read, happy for a minute to relax before you hit the Mines and eventually the gym. 

“Getting nervous?” Raihan asks as he pets your ecstatic Deino under the chin. He sprawls himself and lays his head in your lap before he grins innocently up at you. 

“Not really… Queenie can handle anything that gets thrown at her. She’s come a long way in a short time.” You say as you raise a brow at the dragon tamer before you give him and allow him to use your lap as a pillow.

“Bug types do grow and adapt quickly. It’s what makes them so invaluable early in your adventure, but they are also amazing at beating obscure types like psychic types,” Leon says as he looks up from this task, frowning at the position Raihan is in.

You nod at Leon, “I’m glad I caught Queenie that day. She’s going to be my secret weapon for this gym!” 

You notice Charmander gets up and walks away, sitting himself down in a corner facing the wall. You narrow your eyes as you gaze at the fire pokemon. You glance over at Lee who looks concerned for the little guy as well. The two of you lock eyes and he just nods. 

“You know if you had a fire Pokemon it would be so much easier for you to beat Milo…” Leon says as he smirks at you. 

You watch as his little head perks up, “It would… A fire type would be a wonderful addition to my team… especially a Charmander…”

He turns back around and happily trots over to you, a happy smile on his little face. 

“Charmander?” he asks as he points to himself.

“If you want to,” you say with a soft smile. 

He cheers along with your other Pokemon who seem to be quite pleased by the new addition. You pull a Pokeball out and chuckle when he taps his new home. He pops back out a moment later with a happy cry and begins to chat animatedly with the rest of your team. You know you’re going to have to send someone to the box, but you will do that in the morning before you head out. 

The next day dawns far more quickly than you expected. Arum whines as you decide to send her to the box for the battle. 

“Think of it as a vacation… Plus Nessa is next and you’re going to be my shining star for that battle!” She hums happily after your explanation and agrees as she gets sent to the habitat she will inhabit while you train up your new Charmander for the gym battle. 

“Why did you choose Arum?” Leon asks as he gazes over your shoulder at your pokemon information. Raihan is still asleep, so you and Leon have some time to get your things ready before he wakes up and you all head out. 

“The sooner that Axel evolves into a Toxtricity the better…” you grumble as you gaze down at the device, “Plus Davine and Hades need to build up more trust before I can send them off with a good conscience. Davine still has to build her confidence and Hades needs experience getting his senses under control.”

“What about Serenity?” he asks innocently. 

“What about Charizard?”

“Point taken…” 

“Charmander will do well in this battle. We need to get used to each other before I send him straight into a gym battle. I’ll take a day when we get Turffield and train with him. That will also give me the chance to capture an Eevee!”

“He chuckles, “An Eevee? And what will you evolve the Eevee into?” 

You give him a Cheshire grin.

“Don’t you dare say it…”

“It’s a secret!”

You squeal as Leon wraps his arms around you and begins to tickle you, “I told you not to say it!”

“You don’t tell me what to do!” you exclaim between laughs. 

“Tell me!”

“No!”

“Yes!”

“NEVER!”

You end up collapsing on the ground to catch your breath and he sits down beside you.

“I will evolve it into the type I need to round out my team,” you say as you roll your head to face him. 

“So you don’t know yet.”

“I kind of want a Vaporeon.”

“To take on Kabu…”

“To round out my team,” you say as you gaze up at the sky, “Plus everyone always wants a Sylveon, but the other evolutions are cool too…” 

“You really are a collector of misfits aren’t you?” he asks as he glances over to you.

“Well… I’m kind of a misfit… So I know what it’s like to be rejected and to hurt and to pull yourself out a hole so deep you could see the stars during the day…” you say as you lift your arm into the air and gaze at the sky just past your fingertips. 

He pauses for a moment, unsure of how to react. 

“Was it that bad?”

“Some days… That’s why I got Serenity… negativity affects her, so if I know that what I’m feeling will affect her then I strive to feel better…”

“Did it work?”

“I’m here aren’t I?”

“Yeah… you are… I’m glad you are… I’m glad you decided to take on the gym challenge.”

“...Me too…”

The two of you lay there for a few more minutes as the morning dew creates a mist in the air and the quiet lulls you into a sense of peace. Raihan steps out of the tent with a stretch and a yawn. 

“You guys about ready?” he asks as he looks down at the two of you in confusion. 

“To the Mines!” you say pointing in the general direction of the Mines. Raihan chuckles and turns away, hiding his blush, as he starts collecting the bags from the tent, so he could take it down. Leon gets up to help and you grab Raihan some breakfast that you set aside before you clean up the breakfast things. The pokemon were already fed and in no time you were all ready to head out. 

You make quick work of the mines and before you know it you are getting rooms at the inn in Turffield. You spend the rest of the day training your pokemon so you can take on your first gym tomorrow. 

Night had fallen as you continued to train and search for an Eevee when Raihan comes out to check on you. 

“Hungry?” He asks as he hands you a plate of food from the Inn. 

“Yeah!” you say as you sit down beside him on a rock. 

“You don’t have any reason to be nervous, you’re going to do great.”

“That’s easy for you to say… You do this literally all the time…” you grumble as you take a bite. 

“Yeah… but I still remember my first gym battle… I was terrified at first, but the moment the battle started everything just flowed. I loved it and I knew that it was where I wanted to be. That’s when I decided to dedicate myself to battle. That rush is unlike any other. You’re going to love it.”

“I hope so…”

Raihan scoots closer to you and wraps an arm around your shoulder pulling you against him. You rest your head under his chin as he wraps himself around you.

“You know… I’m glad you came on the journey too…” you hear him mumble as you snuggle closer to him and close your eyes. 

“I’m glad too… I didn’t realize how badly I needed it… I guess Leon getting lost all the time isn’t such a bad thing…”

He throws his head back and laughs but agrees with you. 

The next morning you walk into the gym to challenge Milo before you could talk yourself out of it. There were a couple of challengers in front of you, but at this point most had already challenged the first gym leader and moved on the Nessa. You watch the battles and get a feel for his battle style. 

Before you know it they are calling your name and you enter the challenge. 

“I have to do what?” you ask as you cross your arms and look at the League official in confusion. 

“You have to herd the Wooloo across the field.”

Stepping up to the entrance you just mutter under your breath, “You’ve got to be kidding me…”

The whistle sounds and you’re off rushing towards the sheep pokemon. They begin rolling down the field as you herd them this way and that way. When you finally get all 20 sheep into the designated area you about lose it when they plow through the hay barrels and onto another part. You frown as you look down the field and see the Yamper running amuck. 

“Ahh...shit…” you groan. 

After several of the Wooloo scatter around the field you manage to get them to the end. You roll your eyes as they collectively plow through more hay barrels. 

Once the challenge was completed and you caught your breath you walk down the dim hallway. You could hear the yells from the crowd and you heart begins to pound in your chest. Your fingers run over your friends’ home, each one vibrates with excitement and anticipation. 

This is what you have been working for. You’ve waited for this moment your entire life and finally, you feel ready. 

Stepping out onto the field the crowd goes ballistic. You don’t remember it being this loud when the other competitors stepped onto the pitch. 

“It seems we finally have the challenger we have all been waiting for!”

You look around the field in confusion.

‘They’ve been waiting for me?!’ you think in a slight panic. 

You shake your head to will the thought away, you’ll deal with this later, right now you have a badge to win. 

You meet Milo in the center of the field and give him a hesitant smile, he beams back at you.

“I was wondering when I was going to see Leon’s special challenger.”

“It seems there has been a lot of anticipation for this battle… I didn’t realize I was making the world wait on me.”

“You haven’t been keeping up with the news? You’re everywhere.”

“Ah… no… I’ve been training.”

Milo gives you a knowing smile, “That’s good, that drive is going to take you far. Are you ready?”

“Born ready.”

With that, you throw your Pokeball releasing your Charmander. He lets out a small cry as he takes his place on the battlefield. Milo’s Glossifleur is his first pokemon out. 

“Glossifleur! Magical Leaf!”

“Charmander! Ember!” 

You are rather impressed when your Charmander sent out a couple of fireballs hurtling towards the flower. The first one incinerated the leaves while the second one hit. Charmander dives out of the way while Glossifleur sends out a another way of leaves using its rapid spin to scatter them around. 

Charmander is back on his feet in an instant, “Charmander! Smokescreen! Then hit it with a Dragon’s Breath!”

Glossifleur looks around in confusion as it’s enveloped in the smoke. The next thing you know it’s hit with the attack and thrown from the cloud of smoke. You heave a sigh of relief when it doesn’t get up. 

Charmander comes running up to you happily and he jumps into your arms. You laugh as you swing him around yelling, ‘you did it!’ After your moment of celebrating you call him back into his Pokeball and pull out Queenie’s.

“Let’s win this!” you exclaim as you release her. 

Milo sends out his Eldegoss and your eyes grow the size of saucers when he dynamaxes his pokemon. 

“Let’s show them what you’ve got!” Milo yells as he chucks the giant Pokeball over his shoulder. 

“Oh… boy…”

You and Queenie watch in slight horror as the Eldegoss grows to over twenty times its normal size. 

Queenie glances back at you and you just nod at her, “Soon.”

She dodges the move by the giant Eldegoss, but she can’t dodge the next one. You watch as she’s thrown back and you yell encouragement to her as she flutters her tiny wing in order for her take to the air again. She’s hit by another of the Dynamaxed pokemon’s moves while she’s still dazed from the first one. She lays on the ground for a moment and you feel like your plan backfired and you put her in unnecessary danger. 

You can hardly believe your eyes when a bright light emanates from her and shoots out all around her. Suddenly a Vespiquen takes to the air and zips around the stadium as the Eldegoss begins to shrink back down to size. 

“Queenie! LET’S GO!” You waste no time in summoning her back into her Pokeball and giggle with glee as it grows in your hands before you throw it behind you. Queenie reappears in her Dynamax form and as an ominous buzz haunts the stadium you smile happily. 

“Alright, Queenie! Show them what you’ve got!” 

Queenie unleashes the attack and you can’t help but whoop in excitement when the Eldegoss falls to the ground after the first attack. The stadium erupts into deafening screams as Queenie returns to her normal size and flies over to you. You give her a gentle hug and laugh as she uses her claws to hold onto you happily. 

“I think you’ve earned this,” you turn towards Milo and hold out your hand to shake his before he hands you the badge. 

“Thank you…” you say with an embarrassed smile. 

“I look forward to battling you in the finals tournament.”

“I’ll meet you there!” you say with a smile.

Once off the pitch, you are swarmed with reporters. 

“How does it feel to win your first badge?!”

“Have you had any more trouble from the Pokemon thieves you helped to capture?”

“Are you still training the Jangmo-o?”

“What’s been most challenging on your adventure?”

You feel an imposing presence behind you and turn to see Milo there.

“This is a private area, you all need to leave the challenger alone.”

“Just one question!”

“Okay… one,” you relent with a look of annoyance. 

“What do you have to say to Champion Leon right now?”

“No mercy,” you say with a shrug and a smirk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I hope you all enjoyed this one! What should we name our sweet Charmander? He's a doll and deserves something good! I wonder how Raihan feels about you training the signature pokemon of his rival? 
> 
> Also, Where the heck is that Eevee!? 
> 
> Tell me your thoughts! They make me smile even on the rainest of days!


	8. Dreaming while your Awake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things get interesting and of course more complicated.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Team:
> 
> Serenity her Hatenna, Queenie her Vespiquen, Davine her Jango-o, Hades her Deino, Arum her Bounsweet, Axel her Toxel, Zuko her Charmander

You aren’t expecting the bear hugs you get from the guys when you walk in the door. 

“You did amazing!”

“That was a great battle!”

“Queenie evolved! I guess she won’t be able to sit on my hat now!”

“Did you feel the rush? I knew you would!”

“Guys! Calm down,” you laugh as you swat them away. 

“We’re just proud of you is all!” says Leon as he pulls you back into a hug. 

You smile as you hug him back, “Thanks Lee…”

“Stop hogging her!” Raihan says as he pulls you from Leon’s grasp. 

“Guys! Seriously! Stop!” you yell with a laugh. 

“We’re just excited! You can’t blame us!”

“Well… I’m going to take a nap… that was stressful and I need to sleep.”

“You’re no fun!” pouts Raihan as he lets you go. 

Leon chuckles, “You deserve a nap, go ahead and rest, we’ve got to head out for Hulbury tomorrow! I’m got an errand to run right now, but I should be back by nightfall.”

Leon leaves not too long after that and you head into your room to take a nap. Raihan follows you in there. 

“Raihan? What are you doing?”

“You know a nap sounds good…”

“Then go take one…” 

“Oh I intend to!” he says as he lays down next to you. 

“Why aren’t you in your room?”

He gazes over at you and you feel yourself blush, “You don’t want to nap with me?”

“I just-”

“Come on! It’s just sleeping!”

You roll your eyes, “You better not snore…”

“I do not snore!” 

You just laugh in reply and snuggle under the soft duvet. You’re excited to sleep in a bed after living out of a tent and sleeping bag for a few weeks. It doesn’t take long for you to drift off to sleep. 

You fall into step with Leon and Sonia as you all head to the academy. Today is your final if you pass you will be able to get your trainers’ license and apply for sponsorships for the League. You can hardly wait. 

“I can’t wait to get my license! I’m going to be the champion!” exclaims Leon as he jumps up into the air, “No one can beat me and Charmander!”

“Get in line Leon,” you say with a smirk, “We all know I’m the next Champion of Galar.”

“Whatever! You’ll have to beat me first if you think you’re going to be Champion!”

“Well don’t forget about me!” exclaims Sonia as she pushes in between the two of you, “I’m want to be Champion too you know!”

The three of you continue to bicker good-naturedly as you head to the academy. 

“Alright, class! Today is your final exam. You will be graded on your battling style and skills. You will be randomly paired up, I have all your names in the bowl and I will call out the pairs one by one. First pair! Sonia and Max. Second pair! Rei and Melody. Third pair! Leon and (Name)!…”

You glance over at Leon at the same time he glances over at you. You make eye contact and smirk as you both regard the other. You noticed a few of the other teens in class are looking at the two of you. You are notorious rivals with an equal number of wins apiece. 

When it’s your turn and you are called up to the pitch and stand opposite Leon. 

“No items,” he starts.

“No subbing pokemon,” you second.

“No Mercy!” you both yell as you throw out your pokemon. The two of you reciting the rules you’ve battled by for years. 

Leon sends out his Wooloo and you send out your Rookidee. 

“Leer then Peck it Titan!” you yell at the tiny bird pokemon. 

“Defense curl then tackle!” 

The two battle it out, but in the end, Leon’s Wooloo wins. You huff as you send out Pearl your Squirtle and partner. She makes quick work of the severely weakened Wooloo and you smirk as Leon sends out Charmander. 

“Now the real fight begins!” yells Leon, “Charmander smokescreen!”

“Don’t let him get the jump on you! Water gun! Let’s end this before it begins!”

You smirk as Charmander is hit with a watergun and knocked back, you frown when he just gets back up. 

“Great job buddy! Tackle her!” Leon yells. 

“Withdraw!”

Charmander runs headfirst into the shell of your turtle pokemon. Pearl takes almost no damage and pops out unharmed. 

“Dragon Breath Charmander!”

“Rapid Spin, then watergun again!” you yell. 

Pearl spins at the time that the Dragon Breath hit and it glances off of her shell. When she stops she aims her water gun at Charmander and the battle is over. You smile in victory as Leon just covers his face with his snapback. You know he’s frustrated but you don’t care. 

“Excellent job both of you! You each received passing marks! Now shake hands!”

You approach Leon and hold out your hand, he lifts his head up and smiles at you, “Great match! It looks like I’m going to have to train harder to beat you.” 

“Looks like it!” you giggle as you glance down at your joined hands. 

You blink as you gaze around the unfamiliar room. It takes a moment to pull yourself from your dream. The battle from today reminding you of your last battle with Leon. You were both so young and so full of promise. You can hardly believe it’s been so many years. Do you even recognize yourself in the mirror anymore? Your mind lingers on Pearl your Squirtle. You haven’t seen her in a while, too wracked with guilt at your failure to get sponsored, too ashamed to admit you needed help and too destroyed to be able to take proper care of her. You missed your partner and you hope she’s doing well. You made a promise to her and you intend to keep it, you just need to prove it to yourself first. 

You glance over at Raihan and see him still sleeping. You gently get out of bed and put your shoes on. The afternoon is warm as you head to the grassy area where Eevee is meant to be. You spend the rest of the afternoon training your pokemon and looking for an Eevee, but you never see one. With a huff you settle yourself on a rock and lean back, the sky is painted with blues, purples, and pinks as the sun sets behind the horizon. You close your eyes as you recall an evening like this a year ago. 

The day had been long and hard. You really just needed to get away from everyone and everything in your life for just a moment. You don’t know how long you’ve been laying in the tall grass but the resident pokemon seem to be leaving you alone. Hatenna would not want to be near you right now when nobody else would either. You end up lost in thought as tears slip from your eyes. You can feel the cool trails as the wind blows across your face. Eventually, you drift off to sleep and dreamlessly slumber until well past dark. When you wake up you feel a slight pressure on your stomach. Laying on your stomach, sleeping soundly, is a small Hatenna. Your slight movement wakes up the slumbering pokemon and she blinks up at you sleepily. 

“There you are!” you’re snapped from your thoughts by a voice behind you. Turning around you see Leon walk up and sit next to you. 

“What are you doing out here?” he asks as he settles himself next to you. 

“Thinking… well I was looking for an Eevee but I haven’t been able to find one…” you pout. 

“Well, we’re going to have to find you one because otherwise, this is going to go to waste. 

You blink as you gaze down at the cool blue stone, “You got a Waterstone for me?”

“I did! I wanted you to know how proud I am of you for beating your first gym. I know I wasn’t there for you when you needed me to be, but I’m here now and I want you to know that.”

His gaze is intense and you can’t help but get captured by his amber orbs. 

“Leon…” you whisper. 

Suddenly you’re fifteen again and all the Butterfree you felt every time you looked at him are back. You know this is wrong… ‘He’s with Sonia, isn’t he?’ your mind screams at you. You break eye contact and gaze down at the stone. 

“Thank you, this means a lot to me… I just keep racking up debt with you don’t I?”

“Of course not! You don’t owe me anything other than a battle for the championship. I still have to pay you back for that loss…”

You smirk, “We were fifteen Champion Leon… I think if we’re to battle now you would win…”

“That’s why we aren’t battling now, it has to be on equal footing. You’re still technically ahead by one.”

You chuckle as you sit the stone down next to you, “I can’t believe you remember that…”

“Remember that time you creamed me? Of course, I do! I had to get stronger to beat you didn’t I? Couldn’t have my cru-err… rival think I’m weak, right?”

“I’ve never thought you were weak Leon…”

“Really?” he asks as he subtly scoots closer to you, his arm casually leaning behind you as he moves closer to you.

“Really, I just always knew I was a better strategist.”

“You are, aren’t you?” he asks softly. You’re caught off guard by his soft tone and the sweet look in his eye. 

“(Name)…I… There’s something-”

Leon is cut off by a bright light behind you. Your eyes widen as you gaze down at the Vaporeon standing before you. 

“It-”

Before you can even think the Vaporeon is off like a shot into the night. 

“After it!” you yell as you leap off of the rock and rush after it. 

“Wait!” Leon yells as he rushes after to the two of you.

“You can’t just use my stone to evolve then run awaaaaayyyyy” you exclaim as you chase after the water type. Sending out Queenie you yell for the queen bee pokemon to chase after the bubble jet pokemon. Eventually, you corner it against the fence and it has no choice but to battle you. It doesn’t take long for you to weak it, probably due to the fact that its form is still new and strange. You give a whoop after the little light on your Pokeball shines green showing you’ve captured your new friend. What you don’t expect is the Vaporeon to burst from his Pokeball and run off. 

“What the?! Wait!”

“Where is it going?!” Leon exclaims as he rushes after you as well. 

The Vaporeon stops and gazes back at you intensely as if he is willing you to follow him. You just nod in understanding and rush after him. Taking you through the grass until you get to a little den you’re surprised when he rushes up an Eevee as she stands protectively in front of an egg. She sniffs Vaporeon before she nuzzles him.

“Oh… there’s an egg…” you say as you gaze down at the tiny family before you, unsure of what to do. Leon is behind you in an instant and lets out a gasp of awe. 

“Well would you look at that…” he says as he gazes down at them as well. 

“I don’t know what to do! Do I release him? He could die though… Vaporeon’s aren’t meant to be in this climate! What if something happens!” you panic. 

You’re kind of amazed when the duo begins to speak to one another and the Eevee walks up to you with a look of determination. 

“Ee-Vee!” she exclaims. 

“I think that means she wants to come too…” Leon says in amusement looking down at the evolution pokemon. 

You smile, “Well there are worse things than having an Eevee pair…” you mumble as you pull another Pokeball out and offer it to her. She happily taps it with her little nose and settles into her new home. Popping out she sits beside her egg and glares up at you. 

“Well, of course, we’re taking your baby… We’re not leaving it here…” you explain as you bend down and take the egg from the den. The two thrill obviously excited they are to be together with their baby. 

“Well come on… Let’s go eat dinner…” you laugh as the pair follows happily along behind you. 

“Are you going to evolve her into anything?” 

“We’ll talk about it tomorrow… it’s been a long day…”

When you get back to the room Raihan has already ordered food up but stops midbite as he gazes at the family of Eevee that you have.

“Only you would come back with an entire family of Eevee…” he says with a smile and sigh. 

“It’s not my fault!” you defend as you sit down at the table. There is a large burger waiting for you. 

“How did you know?!” you ask happily. 

“I pay attention,” he says with a wink. 

“What are you naming your Vaporeon?” asks Leon casually.

“Wait! How do you even have a Vaporeon?!” Raihan exclaims.

“Leon went out and found a stone for me! Isn’t he sweet?!” you ask happily as you feed your new friends some berries. 

“Oh… the sweetest…” Raihan says with an annoyed look at his friend and rival.

“Thanks, mate! You know… you aren’t the only one paying attention…” Leon says with a smile, but his eyes are hard as he gazes back at Raihan. 

You don’t notice the interaction as you fawn over your new friends. 

“I think I’m going to name him Nile! After the river!” you give a final nod. 

“You haven’t even named your Charmander yet, how have you figured out what to name him? And what about the other Eevee?”

“I have named Charmander… his name is Zuko.”

“You named him after a cartoon character?”

“It means glory!”

“What about Eevee?”

“I…was not expecting two Eevees… I’ll figure something out later.”

“Are you evolving her?”

“I guess?”

“Ee-Vee!”

“That’s a yes from her,” Raihan laughs. 

She nods happily before she jumps up into your lap. 

“What do you want to evolve into?” Leon asks as he leans over and pets her soft fur.

She tilts her head in confusion and you pull out your Pokedex and pull up her choices. 

She tilts her head the other way she gazes down at her options. 

“You could be a Flareon, that’s a fire type, a Jolteon, that’s an electric type. Or Espeon is psychic, Umbreon is a dark type. There’s also Leafeon that’s a grass type or Glaceon, that’s Ice! Sylveon is a fairy type! What do you think?” 

She looks up at you in confusion, “Ee-veee…”

“It’s okay you don’t have to decide now…”

She nods as she continues to gaze at her options as if she is thinking deeply about her choice. 

“Let’s sleep on it… we have a long day tomorrow…” 

She nods and jumps from your lap as you finish up your dinner and head into your room to relax. 

A knock on the door alerts you to your visitor and you glance up to see Raihan there. 

“Hey Princess, what are you up to?” 

You smile up at him as he approaches your bed. 

“Just resting, it’s nice to be in a bed!”

“I’ll say… but I will miss you tonight…”

“Why?” you ask with a laugh. 

“Because I’m so used to you being near me,” he says as he sits next to you and wraps his arms around you.

“Raihan I’m literally in the next room… are you going to miss Leon this much too?” you giggle. 

“Leon isn’t as pretty as you!” he pouts as he pulls you closer. 

“You won the nap, but this bed is mine tonight! You aren’t winning!”

He looks playfully affronted, “What do you mean? Don’t you miss me too?” he asks slyly. 

“I don’t miss your snoring…”

“I do not snore!”

“You could put Snorlax to shame,” you giggle at him. 

“Why you!” he tackles you onto the bed and you squirm as he tickles you. 

“Raihan!” you yell between laughter. 

“Nobody messes with the Dragon King!” he yells playfully as he continues tickling you. 

“Raihan!” 

“Feel my wrath!”

“I can’t breathe!”

He stops and allows you to catch your breath. Laying on the bed, Raihan wraps himself around you like you are his favorite pillow. 

“But if you let me stay… we could cuddle all night… or…” He flips you over so you’re on your back and he’s hovering over you, but his whispering is interrupted by Leon bursting through the door. 

“What is going on in here?!”

“Nothing!” you exclaim, your face is flushed and you’re panting, Raihan is too and Leon does not look convinced especially with the position you are both in. 

“Sorry to interrupt…” Leon says forlornly as he turns to shut the door. 

“Damnit Leon…” Raihan says as he pulls away and gazes at your shocked face. 

“I’ll handle him, you just head to bed okay?” Raihan says as he gets up and heads for the door. 

You look up at the ceiling and Raihan’s words echo in your head. 

‘No… he was just messing around, he wasn’t being serious… why would the strongest gym leader want me?’ You push the thoughts from your head and the Butterfree from your stomach and roll over to sleep. It doesn’t come as easily as you would like, but eventually, exhaustion from the day’s events wins out and you fall into a restless sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tell me what you think Eevee should evolve into! I'm super curious to see! So Vote! Also I love your responses! keep telling me what you think! You would be surprised at how much it helps! Especially with the holidays, it's hard to focus sometime. Your support keeps me motivated!


	9. Blast from the Past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meeting up with the Pokemon thieves is not exactly your idea of a good time... but it's nothing you can't handle... Right?

Blast from the Past

The next morning is tense as you pop out of your bedroom and into the common area. Leon and Raihan are sitting at the table pointedly ignoring one another, and honestly, you don’t really know why. You sit down in the vacant chair with a coffee cup in front of it and gaze between the two men. After several moments of silence from Leon and Raihan awkwardly avoiding your eyes, you stand up. 

“I’ve got training to do, when you two have dealt with yourselves we’re leaving,” you say in annoyance as you make your way into your room. You emerge about 10 minutes later fully dressed with your pokemon belt stocked with your team. You had sent Queenie, your Vespiquen, to your box and pulled out Arum, your Bounsweet. The Egg is in your backpack nice and snug while both Nile, your Vaporeon and Bastet, your Eevee follow along behind you. You know you are going to have to trade out some pokemon soon, but you wanted to assess your team before you made any decisions. 

Once outside you release your team and introduce them to the new pair or members. They all seem pretty happy with one another. 

“Alright, everyone! Let’s line up and do some assessments! We’ve got the Hulbury gym next. It’s a water type gym so I’ll need Arum and Axel front and center!”

The duo takes a step forward and you chuckle as Axel lays his head on top of Arum causing the berry pokemon to squeak in indignation. 

“Nile, you’re going to be going up against Kabu at the Motostoke Gym in about a week, so we need to get you used to your new form and get some formal training in!”

Nile yips in agreement and you chuckle as he swishes his fin-like tail around. Bastet is standing next to him and you laugh as she scolds him for almost hitting her with his much larger tail. He has the grace to look apologetic at his mate and sits still. 

“Bastet, have you given any thought to your evolution?” The Eevee nods her head decisively and steps up to you. You sit on the ground and pull out your Pokedex with all of her options. When you get to Glaceon she puts her paw on the screen indicating that the ice Pokemon is her choice. 

“So you want to be a Glaceon? What a perfect little pair the two of you make!” She yips happily and jumps around before going to stand back with her mate and new team. 

“Alright, I’ll have to get my hands on an Ice Stone soon!”

Turning your gaze to the last three Pokemon you smiled as Serenity bounds up to you and plops herself onto your head. You had a feeling she would be evolving soon and indulged her whenever she wanted to ride with you now. Davine and Hades lumber over and you regard them critically. Why don’t we see how you two are doing with a battle? Davine pouts up at you while Hades just lets out a little roar of happiness. However, before you could start the battle a commotion in the trees alerts you to some visitors. 

“Or you can hand over that Deino andJangmo-o!” 

You whip your head around and see a Pokemon thief and several men and women standing behind him. 

“What are you doing here?! Did you escape!?”

“Saw your battle on TV. Good job getting your first badge! They never had me! I got away before the cops could show up!” he says in a baby voice before he burst out laughing. 

You narrow your eyes at the male before you, “What? Do you think just because I’ve only gotten one badge I can’t take you? I beat you before with no badges…”

“Big talk for a little girl… Where’s your knight in shining armor at? The dragon trainer?”

“I don’t need anyone to beat you…”

“Wanna bet?”

The thief and his accomplices release their Pokemon. With a frown, you notice many different types of dark and poison types like Nickit, Purrloin, Stunky, and Croagunk. The leader, that can’t seem to leave you alone, sends out a Drapion. You curse to yourself as you notice your opponents’ Pokemon all take a fighting stance. 

“Well, everyone… This is the real challenge, gyms be damned. Let’s show these thieves what we’re all made of!” A chorus of cries meets your ears as they all get into a fighting stance. Your team leaps into action at the same time your opponents do. Luckily with the training, you’ve done thus far the only ones you really have to coach are Nile and Bastet. 

“Nile! Bastet! Use Water Pulse and Swift!” The duo attacks Croagunk while Hades and Davine work on the Drapion and the rest of your Pokemon take on the remaining three themselves. You aren’t surprised when a bright light glows to your left and notice Arum evolving.

“Arum! You’re a Steenee now!” you exclaim in glee ignoring the rest of the battle so you miss the moment that the Drapion breaks free from its battle with your dragons and charges at you. You go to leap out of the way of the scorpion-like Pokemon as you scream when all of sudden it stops in its tracks its stinger inches from you. The Drapion is thrown away from you and faints upon its impact with the ground. Looking up you see Serenity panting and on the verge of passing out. 

“Serenity!” you yell as the Stunky bares its teeth and bites your unsuspecting antenna pokemon. She lets out a tiny cry and you scream her name in worry. Axel throws its fists down onto the Pokemon making it release its grip. Arum rushes over and you watch in awe as leaves whip up from the ground and assault the Stunky, knocking it out. You’re surprised when Davine, with a battle cry you’ve never heard before rushes the Nickit heading butting it and sending it reeling back before hitting it with a dragon tail. 

“What is going on here!? How is some little girl beating all of us?!” he yells in anger. 

“First off!” you yell as you hold Serenity in your arms, “Don’t call me little girl. I’ve kicked your ass twice now.”

You watch in satisfaction as the other Pokemon fall to your team, “Secondly, I train my own Pokemon, I don’t steal other peoples!”

“You stole my Deino! I want it back!”

“Hades made his choice.” 

You watch in amusement as Hades whips his head towards the voice and a low growl emitted from his throat. The ring leader takes a step back in fear. 

“So you’ve named the traitor.”

“Fitting isn’t it?” you ask with a smirk. 

“You’re such a little bitch!”

“Maybe… but I still beat you.”

“You only think you have.”

Your eyes widen as several more thieves step out of the trees surrounding you. You square your shoulders and begin to call back your team knowing you’re going to have to find another way out of this.

“What? Giving up so soon?”

“Not exactly… but tell me… Why do you care so much about me?”

“Let’s just say you’ve interested someone…”

“Someone?”

“Oh yes… He’s quite interested in you and your Pokemon… And once we hand you over to him and show him what you can do… Well if you’re a good little girl maybe he’ll have a use for you. After all, he did tell us to bring you in alive…”

You let out a smirk, “Is that so?” 

He didn’t notice you switch out the Pokemon in your team, so he’s completely unprepared for the moment you threw a Pokeball into the air. Titan your Corviknight glares down at the unsuspecting group before you. 

“Let’s go Titan!” you yell as you rush to him and leap onto his back. He takes off and you clutch his feathers tightly so you don’t fall off. 

“Gust!” you yell as several of the newly released Pokemon leaps to catch hold of the two of you. The wind knocks them to the ground and you smile as you pat him. 

“Good job, Titan…” 

He cooed back at you happily, a single red eye gleaming at you as he turns to gaze at you. 

“Thank you for being here for me… I promise you I haven’t forgotten you… It’s just… Not time yet… Your new teammates have so much to learn…”

He coos back at you as if he’s saying it’s okay. You just pat his neck and tell him where you need to go. When you arrive back at the Inn you notice Raihan and Leon in the front of the building yelling about something. 

“What are you two going on about?!” you exclaim as you land. 

The duo whipped around to face you with equal looks of shock on their faces. 

“When did you get a Corviknight?! Where do you keep getting all these Pokemon at?!” exclaims Raihan. 

“Wow! So Titan evolved?!” Leon exclaims as he approaches the two of you. 

Titan dips his head down so that Leon can pet him, “Last time I saw you you were a Rookidee!”

Titan straightens up and fluffs up his feathers obviously preening under the attention. 

“I trained Titan when I was younger, I have several Pokemon that I raised when I intended to challenge the League. They mostly hang out at my family’s place, but since starting my adventure I had them put back into my storage box in case I need them for any reason. A good thing to… I needed Titan today or I wouldn’t have made it.”

“What do you mean you wouldn’t have made it?” Asks Leon his voice almost dangerous. 

“The thieves are back… You were right, they wanted revenge and to take back Hades and take Davine. Also… They wanted to take...me…”

“They wanted to kidnap you?!” Raihan exclaims as he rushes up to you his hands clenched into fists.

“That’s what they said… I was able to take out the first wave, but there was a second wave surrounding us. I couldn’t fight them all off so I ran…”

“I’m glad you did if something would have happened to you…” Leon says as he pulls you into a hug holding you close to him. 

You hear Raihan curse from beside you as he looks down the path, “I bet they’ve run by now… Damnit! I can’t believe we let you go off alone…”

“You can’t be there all the time Rai…” you say as you pull away from Leon.

“No, you need protection at all times now. We can’t let them take you, who knows what they intend to do to you…” Raihan argues. 

“I’m not a damsel, guys…”

“No one is saying you are, but you are being targeted by an entire organization of thieves and that’s dangerous,” Leon reasons. 

You heave a sigh of annoyance, “I know… I just… I want to have a normal journey… Not one filled with unnecessary danger and people trying to kidnap me and steal my pokemon.” 

“Look, we're going to make sure nothing happens to you okay?” asks Raihan as he pulls you towards him. You nod knowing that the two of them will protect you, you just don’t want to need protection. 

“You know… you aren’t weak for needing help… if that’s what you’re worried about,” Says Raihan as he squeezes you a little tighter. You smile to yourself wondering how he could know you so well already. 

“They found me because of the televised battle, so they are going to know what city I’m in all the time.”

“We won’t have your battles televised then, I’ll talk to the League-”

“No that’s too obvious, plus I doubt that would keep them from finding me, they probably have eyes in all the cities anyway…”

“She’s right, they’re probably watching the gyms, so not having her battles televised would just hurt her career,” Raihan reasons. 

The three of you take off down the road to the Pokemon center. You allow Titan some time to stretch his wings as he flies ahead of you all, playing lookout even if you didn’t ask him to. 

“So what we don’t do anything?” Leon argues. 

“We should let the other gym leaders know what’s going on and have them on the lookout for anyone suspicious,” Raihan puts his hands behind his head and you gaze up at the tall male beside you. 

“Besides, I want to be the one to take them out…” Raihan growls, his sharp fang-like teeth showing in a dangerous smirk.

You suddenly know why Raihan is known as the dragon tamer, he may as well be part dragon himself. 

“Well, you’ll have to get in line…” Leon says with an edge to voice and glance to your other side you see the champion radiating with power, not the boy you grew up with. 

“OH! I have some good news!” you exclaim as you pull out Arum’s Pokeball, “Arum evolved! She is now a Steenee!” 

“Sweet!”

“That’s great news!”

“It is! She’s so proud!” you exclaim as you send her out. She blinks up at them with her big eyes before she giggles and begins to dance around on the path before you all. You know you’re trying to keep your mind busy. The return of the thieves is startling and you’re scared. You’re scared for your Pokémon as well as yourself. 

‘I need to get stronger…’ you think as you gaze at Arum. She is getting stronger every day as is your other Pokémon. You know you have to be patient, but you can’t help but feel pressured to be strong now. 

“Hey, nothing is going to happen to you…” Leon says softly. 

“You don’t know that…” you mutter back. 

“You’re right I don’t… but I know that while I’m around I’m not letting someone take you from me okay?”

“Okay…”

The trip to the Pokemon center is relatively quick. You all end up stocking up on supplies and you trade out Titan for Nile once again. Your team now consists of Serenity your Hatenna, Axel your Toxel, Davine your Janmo-o, Hades your Deino, Arum your Steenee, and Nile your Vaporeon. Once you have all finished up at the center you head off down Route 5 in order to get to Hulbury. You don’t like the thought of sleeping in the tent and you can feel your paranoia creeping up. 

“If we end up having to sleep in the tent tonight, we will keep guard,” Leon says with finality.

“When are you two going to sleep then?”

“We can’t not keep watch, you know this,” Raihan interjects.

“But if you’re tired will you be able to battle if something happens?”

“(Name) you need to calm down and trust us,” says Raihan as he drapes an arm around your shoulders. 

“What if they attack us again? What if something happens?”

“We are just going to have to be diligent okay? Just focus on getting stronger for your next gym battle this doesn’t change anything,” Raihan says calmly. 

You spend the rest of the day training your team and despite your best efforts to make it to Hulbury, you have to set up camp. There is a small clearing near a pond that is perfect for camping. You all fall into the same routine as you have for the past few weeks. Raihan sets up the tent, Leon starts the fire and you start dinner. The other two pitch in when needed and feed the Pokemon. Everyone is out and meandering around the clearing and whether or not you want to admit it the sky is gorgeous with its pinks and oranges. You focus your energy on the curry you’re making and Serenity volunteers to be your taste testers especially since she hasn’t left your side for hours. You notice Raihan poking around the tall grass, but you don’t pay much attention to him. Leon is at your side helping you with the vegetables and rice. 

“How are you holding up?” Leon asks as he chops the potato. 

“I’ve been better… Its moments like this that my head just screams at me to go home, but there isn’t anything left for me there…”

“No, you need to get stronger and running from this isn’t going to solve it.”

“I know…” you say softly as you avoid his eyes. 

“Hey…” he says as he comes up behind you and wraps his arms around your frame. He rests his head on your shoulder and you feel his warmth and his strength and you feel secure. You feel yourself lean back into him and you rest your head against his. 

“You did amazing today. You defeated them and you ran when you knew you couldn’t. That’s all you could do and that’s all I could ask you to do. I’m sorry that you were alone when it happened… It’s my fault for jumping to conclusions about you are Raihan…”

“Jumping to conclusions? Leon, Rai and I are friends and what you saw last night wasn’t anything. Nothing happened. Also, what does it matter if something does happen? Aren’t you-”

A loud squawk interrupts you and you look up in just enough time to see Axel jump back in fear. Rushing forward you watch as your baby stumbles away and rushes behind Arum who is just staring in confusion at the overzealous Farfetch’d who is waving his leek stalk wildly in the direction of the baby. 

“Axel… what did you do to it?!” you scold as you watch the bird hop about wielding its leek. 

Axel looks up at you with tear-filled innocent eyes and rubs at its head. 

“I’m sure you’re fine…” You mutter as you pick up the baby Pokemon to examine his head. He pouts at you as the Farfetch’d lunge at the two of you. 

“Oh absolutely not… Not after the day I’ve had… Serenity! Psybeam!”

The angry bird is knocked back a few feet but seems undeterred. Serenity hops to the side and hits Farfetch’d with confusion causing the Pokemon to become disoriented. With one final attack from Serenity, Farfetch’d falls back into the grass and you just chuckle triumphantly.

“Well catch it!” yells Leon from your right. 

“Oh! Right!” You pull a Pokeball out of your bag and throw it at the bird Pokemon. After it shakes a few times it finally signals that Farfetch’d is caught. 

“You caught a Pokemon the normal way for once… Good job!” says Raihan as he walks up to the two of you. 

“THE CURRY!” you yell before you can answer and you rush back over to the pot in just enough time to keep it from boiling over. Raihan picks the Pokemon up from the grass and walks over to you. 

“When he evolves you’re going to have a fighter on your hands,” he says as he hands your new Pokemon over to you. 

“What are you talking about? He’s already a fighter…” you mutter while you stir the pot. 

“You know what I mean!” he chuckles.

“I do…” 

You send Farfetch’d to your box knowing you will get him out to train later. Raihan hangs out with you while you plate the food and then helps you divvy the food out to everyone. The meal is quiet with everyone lost in their own thoughts about everything that has been going on. After dinner is over and everything is cleaned up you decide to turn in. You know that sleeping will be very difficult tonight. 

You hear the front of the tent unzip as Raihan steps in, “Leon is taking first watch so let’s get some sleep okay? You have a gym badge to win tomorrow!”

You can tell he’s trying to make you feel better about the situation, but what you don’t expect is for him to lay his sleeping bag down right next to you. 

“Rai?”

“Look I’m right here okay? Just go to sleep…”

You nod at him and roll so you are turned away from him, but you’re so restless it isn’t long until you roll to face the top of the tent and then to your side again. After a few more minutes of rolling around and just being restless and annoyed you feel an arm wrap around your waist and a chin rest on your shoulder. 

“I’ve got you…” is the only thing that a sleepy Raihan mutters before he pulls you closer to his body and slowly his warmth and the feeling of security that surrounds you allows you drift off into a fitful sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I hope everyone is having a good New year! Sorry for the wait things have been crazy. I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please leave a comment below you know how much I love hearing from you all!!


	10. Hit me with Your Best Shot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You go up against Nessa and maybe you win a badge. Maybe feelings are finally out in the open... Maybe someone gave you an Applin...  
Now can we all just get along?

You gaze into the sunrise taking in the colors with your sweater wrapped around you for warmth. Zuko lays curled next to you as a source of heat and protection, the little fire lizard yawns and stretches as he blinks up at you. You glance down at him as you giggle to yourself and pull a few berries out for him to eat. He happily snatched them from your hands and eats them as he too watches the colors dance across the morning sky. You had been up for a couple of hours now, allowing the guys to get some sleep. 

You watch as the quiet is broken by the Pokémon in the tall grass and the little pond slowly stirring to start their day. You are a little surprised when an apple is suddenly sitting next to you, also gazing up into the sunset. You blink as you look down at it and it turns to look at you. 

“An Applin…” you mutter to yourself. 

“Your Applin,” says a voice behind you. 

You whip your head around and you’re surprised to see Raihan sitting in the entrance to the tent. 

“My Applin?” You ask turning to fully face him.

“I caught him for you yesterday, I figured he would be a good addition to your team and…”

“And?”

“And I wanted you to know that I’ll always be here for you. I know you have a lot going on right now so I don’t expect you to…”

“To what, Rai?”

“Return my-“ Raihan is interrupted as Leon shoves him aside and walks out of the tent yawning. 

“Hey what was that for?!” Raihan yells after his friend and rival. 

“You were blocking the exit of the tent,” Leon says innocently, maybe a little too innocently.

You glance back and forth between the two of them in confusion. 

“What is going on between you two?” You ask in exasperation.

“Nothing!” They both exclaim a bit too forcefully. 

“Whatever, let’s eat breakfast and get going,” you grumble to them. 

The air is filled with the sounds of Raihan packing up the tent, Leon feeding the pokemon and you fixing breakfast for the three of you. Oatmeal is your breakfast of choice today, so while it’s cooking you chop up some berries, get the seasoning ready as well any other topping you have on hand. 

“We’re going to need to grab food while we are in Hulbury,” you tell the guys. 

They just grunt in answer as they continue to focus on the task at hand. You have a feeling that whatever is going on between the two of them is a big part of the silence. You ignore them as you complete your task and announce that breakfast is ready. They finish up quickly before they rush over to grab their respective bowls. 

The three of you set out towards Hulbury the minute that the dishes are washed and put away. You gaze up at the blue sky as you walk along a little behind the duo. The clouds in the sky lazily float over the sun casting shadows every once in a while. Your newest team member is resting on your shoulder while he chirps up at the sky, clearly happy to travel along with you. 

“What are you going to name him?” Raihan asks, clearly enjoying the sight of the Applin he got you resting on your shoulder. 

“I don’t know… I’ve been thinking about it all morning.”

You think you hear Leon huff from in front of you and Raihan but you decide not to pay him any attention. 

Raihan sends him a look before he returns his attention to you. 

“So Raihan…” you start glancing over at the Dragon trainer beside you, “You know about the rumor for Applin right?” 

He glances over at you, “Sure do.”

You just nod with a soft blush on your face, “Okay I wanted to make sure…”

“Don’t worry princess, I gave him to you on purpose, but things are crazy now and…”

“I know…”

“It’s cool if you don’t feel the same you can still keep him…”

“I don’t really know how I feel… things have been very overwhelming recently.”

“I understand.”

“How about… once the League challenge is over we… talk about this more?” You ask hesitantly.

“I’d like that… Plus I technically can’t get involved with competitors soooo…”

You laugh, “So what was the point of this?”

“I want you to know that you’re supported and no matter what you have someone even when this is all over.”

“Thanks, Raihan. I needed to hear that… I’ve been doing everything on my own for so long that it’s nice to know that I have someone there for me…”

You share a smile with Raihan as he slings his arm around your shoulder. You notice how stiff Leon’s shoulders are and you wonder what has gotten into him lately. 

Hulbury is upon you by the afternoon and you head to the pokemon center to get your Pokemon healed up. You notice a few shady characters loitering around the alleys as you exit the center and head towards the gym. A crowd outside of the arena blocks the entrance and you raise your brows as you watch a kid rush out and smirk at the crowd. 

“Fan favorite?” you wonder aloud as you watch the kid sign autographs and give an interview to the reporters standing by. 

You continue your way toward the doors and you’re surprised when shouts of “There she is!” rise up among the crowd. Before you know it they are rushing towards you and you are surrounded by a group of fans and reporters are shoving a microphone into your face. You blink in surprise as you are bombarded with questions. You can feel yourself being overwhelmed as you stumble back. 

“Hey!” A forceful voice cuts through the crowd and everyone stops to stare in shock at Nessa standing on the front steps of her gym. 

“Could you give my challenger some room please?” she asks in an icy voice as she approaches you, the crowd parts like the sea as she does so.

You heave a sigh of relief as you smile at your friend, “Thanks,” you mutter as you step in line beside her. 

“Don’t mention it!” She says as she makes her way into the gym the reporters and crowd following closely behind in order to watch the battle that will soon unfold. 

You head over to registration after waving bye to your friend and get signed in. You find out there are a couple of challengers in front of you so you head to the locker room to wait your turn. 

Sitting on the bench watching the battles take place on screen you almost don’t notice the person that plops down next to you. 

“Well look who it is!”

Turning you to your right you see Sonia sitting next to you.

“When did you get there?!” you exclaim in surprise. 

“A minute ago! Nessa has been helping me with some research but when she texted me that you were challenging her I knew I had to come to see you for myself!”

You chuckle as you gaze up at the screen showing the battle taking place before you. You sigh as you look down at your team on your belt. 

“Nervous?” Sonia asks. 

“Yeah… Things have been a lot lately… And Raihan kinda just confessed to me…”

“Raihan?! Really? What about-”

“Challenger (Name)! You’re up next please take your place,” a referee interrupts. 

“I’ll talk to you later okay? I have a battle to win.”

“O-kay…” 

You don’t pay attention to Sonia as you rush to the starting area and race to complete the puzzle to get you there. 

By the time you make it to the arena, your clothes are sopping wet and you basically feel like a drowned Ratatta… 

You shiver as a gust of air from the interlock doors assault your senses before you make your way down the hallway towards the field. Once you step out onto the green you feel yourself straighten up as you head towards the center at the same time that Nessa is. You meet in the middle and shake hands before turning and walking towards your respective sides. 

“I’ve been waiting for you, you know…”

“Oh? Why is that?”

“You’re Leon’s chosen one, so clearly you must be good! Don’t worry though, I’m better,” she says with a smirk while she flips her hair over her shoulder. 

“We’ll see about that…” you smirk as you ready your first pokemon. 

Nessa sends our Goldeen as you release Axel your sweet baby throwing his fists onto the ground as he regards the fish Pokemon before him. 

“Axel, are you ready to play? Acid!”

“Goldeen! Use Agility then Water Pulse!”

You see sparks jumping from Axel’s skin before he sprays the general area with the acid. Goldeen dodges just in time and hits Axel with a blast of water. He Flails about out of habit hitting Goldeen and sending her to the ground. 

“Nuzzle!” you yell as the fish pokemon leaps up. 

Axel throws his arms out and wraps them around the fish Pokemon sending electric currents through her body. 

“Whirlpool! You have to get away!”

“Acid! Spray the water!”

You watch as the poison from Axel’s Acid attack mixes with the water swirling around the two of them. They both get swept up into the current, however, due to the paralysis and the poison now running through Goldeen’s system she is rendered useless. Once the whirlpool has subsided both pokemon lands harshly on the floor and you wait with bated breath to see if one of them is getting up. 

Axel sits up and shakes his head, water flying everywhere with a look of confusion. 

“Round one goes to (Name)!”

“Yes!” you exclaim as you throw your hands up and Axel throws his fists into the air. 

“Not bad… Let’s see how you handle Arrokuda!” Nessa releases her next pokemon and you know that Axel can’t survive this battle as well. Hopefully, he will be able to paralysis his opponent before you switch him out. 

“I know what you’re thinking!” Nessa says, “And it’s not going to work!”

“You don’t know what I’m thinking…”

“Don’t I? Aquajet Arrokuda!”

You curse under your breath, “Acid then Nuzzle, Axel!”

You know that Axel’s speed isn’t anything near this Arrokuda’s so your only hope is to slow it down. 

Dodging the acid from Axel Arrokuda slows down enough for Axel to catch him right as he’s hit with a Nuzzle. Axel falls backward knocked out from the move and you frown as you call him back. 

“Great job sweet boy… you deserve a nap.”

“Not bad… you still managed to get me…”

You frown, “I was hoping he would have survived at least one attack, your Arrokuda is stronger than I thought…”

“Serenity! Let’s go!”

Serenity readies herself as she glares at her opponent. 

“Bite Arrokuda!”

“Oh no, you don’t! Confusion then Magical Leaf!”

The attack knocks Arrokuda back as the paralyzed pokemon attempts to get up leaves whip up from nowhere and fly towards the fish pokemon. She takes a direct hit and is down for the count. 

“Impressive…”

“Oh, I’m just getting started…”

“Now we’re talking! Drednaw, go!”

“Return Serenity! Go Arum!”

Arum your Steenee dances across the field as the Drednaw roars.

“You ready?” Nessa asks.

You can hear the music pick up and the fans are already going wild for the Dynamax battle about to happen. 

“Let’s do this…”

Your bands activate and both of you return your pokemon before the Pokeball enlarges and you throw it behind you. Arum is released and grows about 10 times her normal size. She thrills as she glares at the roaring Pokemon before her. 

“Max Overgrowth!”

“Max Geyser!”

Both Pokemon release their moves simultaneously. You watch as the root-like vines fight to cut through the cannon of water blasting at it. You smile as the floor becomes grassy and flowers blossom right before your eyes. 

“AGAIN!” you yell hoping that Arum has what it takes to overtake the Drednaw before her. She dances around missing another blast of the Geyser just as it begins to rain. She sends the vines across the field with a direct hit sending out a shockwave of explosions as the Drednaw shrinks to its normal size before returning to its home. 

You laugh as you leap into the air in excitement before you turn to Arum who is shrinking to regular size again. She runs up to you and jumps into your arms as Serenity pops from her Pokeball to join in on the hugging as well. 

“We got our second badge!” 

“Great job, (Name). I knew that Leon’s original rival had to be something. Looking forward to battling you in the finals!” 

You take the badge from Nessa and the two of you shake hands as you give her a watery smile. Suddenly overcome with emotion you hide your face from the cameras as you make your way off the field. You throw your fist into the air one more time and grin as the crowd goes wild.

You inhale the sea air as you step out of the gym. You aren’t surprised when several people flock to you and for once you’re prepared for the onslaught. Kids ask for your autograph and you’re surprised at how many young women call you an inspiration. Young men blush as they ask for your autograph and several ask how Davine and Hades are doing. 

“When are we going to get to see them battle!?” a little girl of 10 asks. 

“When they are ready. Davine went through a lot and while she’s definitely improving I’m afraid the arena may be too much for her, same with Hades. He can’t see so loud noises still disorient him. They both need more training before I bring them out for a league battle.”

“That makes sense… I didn’t think of that… But they are doing good?”

“Yes! They are doing well!”

“You should put up videos on your trainer account!” says a fifteen-year-old girl. 

“Huh? My what?”

“Your trainer account! All trainers have one! It’s connected to your ID number so that fans can keep track of you on social media! You can upload pictures and videos of you and your pokemon!”

“Oh… Can you show me?”

“Sure!”

She takes your phone and shows you the app and how to use it. She asks you to pull out your badges so you hand them to her. She holds the ring up to the sky, so the blue is the background and snaps a picture. You watch fascinated as she captions the post and tags it before she posts the photo. 

“Seems simple enough…”

“Here! I’ll follow you!” She says happily as she pulls her own phone out, “The names Sunny!”

“Me too!”

“Same!”

“Post great updates!”

You’re surprised when the entire crowd pulls out their phones to follow you and you’re pretty surprised to watch the count go up right before your eyes. In less than a minute you have about 50 followers. You chuckle when you notice both Leon and Raihan’s username float across your screen. 

“She’s being followed by the Champion! And Raihan!”

“Hey look! Nessa too!” 

You chuckle as Raihan comments, “About time!” on your photo. 

“The second badge already?!” comments Leon.

“They’re commenting!!!!” squeals one of the girls. 

You laugh as you turn back to Sunny, “Thanks for your help! How do I follow you back?”

She happily shows you how to follow people and you smile as you follow back everyone in the area and thank them for their support. 

“We’re rooting for you!”

“You’re going to crush them in the finals!”

You giggle as you walk away from the fans and head towards the hotel that you are staying in. You are greeted by Leon and Raihan as you walk in through the door. 

“TA-DA!” They exclaim as they show you the celebratory spread they bought. 

“Wow!! So much food!”

“We wanted to surprise you, plus the seafood here is the best!” Leon says. 

“And what if I had lost?”

“Food always works both ways! In celebration or in comfort! It’s always a win-win!” Raihan chuckles. 

“True! Let’s eat!” 

You all sit down at the table and eat to your heart’s content. For the first time, the past few days things between Leon and Raihan seem to be at least at peace. You decide not to question it and just enjoy the moment. Right now you are victorious and one step closer to being the champion. 

“Kabu is next, you think you’re ready?” Raihan asks. 

“I need to get Nile ready for that battle.” 

“Do you think Nile can take Kabu’s team by himself?” Leon asks. 

“Not right now… I may have to test the waters with Hades or Serenity.”

“You’ll figure it out!” Leon says encouragingly. 

“I know but I think it would be good to take some time and train a little before we head to the next gym.”

“Whatever you need Princess…” Raihan says with a smile. 

You feel yourself blush remembering your earlier conversation with Raihan. 

“Whatever I need? What if I need an Ice stone?” you joke.

“Then your wish is our command.”

You chuckle before swatting at him. 

Glancing up you notice the way that Leon seems upset and refuses to meet your eyes. He’s playing with his food and you can’t help but wonder what is bothering him. 

Your thoughts are interrupted by a knock on the door. You get up and open the door to find Sonia and Nessa on the other side. 

“Hey! We heard there’s food!” Sonia says as she makes her way into the room. 

“Plenty for everyone!” Raihan exclaims as he pulls you back down beside him, “Even if my plans to seduce you are ruined…”

The whisper in your ear sends a shiver down your spine. “Raihan!” you yelp as you swat at him.

He laughs as he lets you go and you notice the look that Nessa is sending you. 

‘Get that,’ she mouths before taking a bite of the shrimp on her plate. 

You roll your eyes with a shake of your head. 

You all fall into easy banter and you have to admit it’s nice having the girls around. 

“You know when I’ve had enough of the testosterone, the three of us should go on an adventure. Girls only!” you joke as you take a bite of the kale salad before you. 

“Hey, that’s a great idea! You can help me with my research!” Sonia exclaims while throwing her fist into the air.

“Plus the challengers will be finished in a month or so I could use an adventure!” interject Nessa, a light smirk across her features as she lays her head lazily on her fist.

“Plus the guys are going to eventually have to back to their duties, Raihan’s going to have challengers to battle,” Sonia reasons. 

“Are you two suggesting that I leave my favorite girl to fend for herself?” Raihan asks with false outrage. 

“She can handle herself!” Nessa exclaims, “We’ll be there too!”

“No. It’s too dangerous,” Leon says in an angry tone. 

You all look over to Leon, who had been quiet up until this moment.

“Leon…” Sonia starts. 

“I said no,” he says before he gets up and storms from the room.

“What just happened?” asked Nessa looking after the champion. 

Sonia frowns before she gets up to follow behind him. A moment after she disappears behind the door you all hear the two of them arguing before Sonia bursts from the room looking angrier than you’ve ever seen her before. 

“Let’s go Nessa,” She says as she makes her way to the door, “I’ll call you later (Name).”

You and Raihan blink as you look from one door to the next. 

“What the hell…” you grumble as you begin to clean up the plates. 

“Hey, I got it… why don’t you go check on grumpy? I have a feeling he wants to talk to you…”

“I don’t think so…”

“He does… Go talk to him," Raihan says as he motions to the door.

You frown before you knock hesitantly on the door before you enter. Leon is sitting on the bed with his back to the door. 

“Leon… what’s wrong?” you ask in a small voice your hands are twisting in the hem of your shirt. 

He heaves a heavy sigh as he hangs his head, “I’m sorry… I ruined your night…”

“I don’t care about that… I just want to know you’re okay…” you take a hesitant step closer to him.

“I’m not…”

“Why? What happened? Is it you and Sonia? Did you break up? What just happened?” You sit next to him on the bed and rest your hand hesitantly on his shoulder.

“Break up? Sonia and I are just friends…” he says confusion dripping from his words.

“What do you mean? Aren’t you two together?”

“No! I don’t see her like that! She’s like my sister!” He's almost laughing when he says that.

“But… when we were younger…” you furrow your brows as you regard the man in front of you.

“I lied…” Leon looks away from you, unable to meet your eyes.

“You lied?” you gasp.

“That day you asked me who I liked I lied to you because I was too afraid to tell you how I felt.”

“How you felt?” you echo.

“I had the biggest crush on you when we were younger… I regretted not telling you how I felt after I set out on my journey so I promised myself that once we faced one another in the league that I would tell you how I felt…”

“But I never made it…” you whisper.

“No… And then when I came back home you weren’t there and no one knew where you were… Your parents didn’t even know…” He gets up his body is tense as he turns around to face you.

“I remember that year… You wouldn’t have liked me very much then… I didn’t like me very much then…”

“I would have liked you… I have for a very long time," he says as he pulls you up and into his arms.

“Leon…” A moment passes and he just holds you against his strong form.

“Raihan confessed… If you want me to leave so that…” Leon murmurs as he pulls away, you can almost feel the pain in his voice.

“No, I don’t want you to leave! How could you say that?” you ask as you jerk back.

“Don’t you want to be with him?”

“I don’t… know what I want…” You look out the window to avoid his eyes.

“I made this whole thing worse didn’t I?”

You shake your head before you reach out to him, “No… I just want us all to be together… Things can’t change right now, there is too much at stake," you say as you grasp his forearms.

“You’re right… We have a band of thieves to apprehend and you have finals to get to.”

You chuckle as you look away, "I had a crush on you too…” you confess.

“Had?”

“I thought you liked Sonia! I thought you wanted to be with her and you finally got what you want so I don’t really know how to feel right now.”

“If I could go back and tell young me…” he says as he pulls you closer.

“Stop… We wouldn’t be who are today if anything had happened any differently. Our paths have shaped us and it’s not always been an easy path, but I love who I am in this moment with the people that I care about supporting me. I wouldn’t change my shitty life for anything ever.”

“Only you…” he says with a forlorn smile as he looks down and shakes his head in disbelief.

You just shrug as you smirk at him. “Good night Leon. Oh and apologize to Sonia for yelling at her," you point at him as you close the door behind you.

He winces as he recalls his earlier actions, “Will do… Good night…”

You step out the door and Raihan is waiting on the other side. 

“So now you know our secret…” his arms are crossed as he leans against the couch.

“That’s what you two have been fighting about? Me?” you ask incredulously.

“We both like you, but we both want to make sure you’re safe. So we’ve just been co-existing while trying to get you to figure it out. You’re kinda dense when it comes to flirting you know that right?” he asks as he casually walks towards you until he's a breath away from you.

“I literally thought you were joking this entire time…” you grumble in embarrassment hiding the pink on your cheeks. 

Raihan chuckled, “Nope! Dragon’s always go for what they want Princess, and believe me when I say I want you. I know you have history with Leon, but trust me when I say I’m not giving up to a man who didn’t have the balls to asks you out when he had the chance.” He leans down and his face is inches from yours. Your eyes widen as you gaze back at him, slightly flickering down to his lips and he smirks noticing where your eyes went.

“I believe you Raihan,” you whisper.

“Good, now let’s head to bed, you’ve got training in the morning and I have to prove I’m the better man for you."

You roll your eyes as he winks at you, but you can’t help the giggle that escapes as you head to your own room. When you pull out your forgotten phone from your bag you notice two text messages one for Sonia and one from Nessa. 

Sonia: You know that Leon likes you right?

Nessa: You know that Raihan likes you right?

You heave an exhausted sigh, “Thanks for the heads up ladies…”

You flop back onto your bed and close your eyes vaguely wondering what the future will hold now that everything is out in the open.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I know it was a long time coming and I hope you enjoyed it! Please leave comments down below! I look forward to hearing your thoughts!


	11. No Time to Lose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With your head reeling from Leon and Raihan's recent confession you take the day to do some training. It's not nearly as helpful or relaxing as you think when you meet the leader of the organization that wishes to employ you as their trainer. Do you have what it takes to survive? Or does this break you?

Blinking in annoyance at the light filtering through your window you huff as you roll over trying to escape it. You spent the majority of the night thinking about Leon and Raihan’s confession to you. At first, there was an acute thrill up your spine at the prospect of their feelings for you, however as the night wore on a sense of dread began to encompass your entire being. What are you going to do?

With a groan, you sit up in bed and decide that you will be spending the next couple of days in town training and resting with Sonia and Nessa.

The common area of the suite Leon rented is still cast in early morning shadow, the peace yet to be disturbed. You make a quick breakfast for yourself and your Pokémon before you write a quick note to the duo and make your silent exit. You need time to process precisely what’s happening in your life. Besides, you aren’t going far and just maybe you’ll meet up with the girls for some girl time.

The walk to the pier is peaceful and the few that are out give you a friendly wave and continue on their way. You aren't overly surprised to see Sonia and Nessa on the beach clearly working on whatever research Sonia is doing.

“What are you doing here?” Sonia asks with a wave.

“Isn’t Kabu’s gym next? Shouldn’t you be heading back to Motostoke?” asks Nessa wiping sweat off her brow in the early morning sun. 

“I’m taking a few days to train. Plus I talked with Leon and Raihan yesterday…”

“About their feelings for you?” The duo choruses. 

You wince but nod your affirmation, “I just don’t know what to do! I’ve finally got my chance at the League and I’m being pursued by Pokémon thieves and now this! It’s just…. a lot…”

“Take a break then! Get your head on straight. Kabu will be there in a few days,” Nessa says her hands on her hips. 

“That’s what I’m doing… plus having a break from the guys to at least process everything is a good idea.”

“Totally agree!” Chirps Sonia, “You need some girl time! Although I will say this… you’ve got Lee messed up! I don’t think I’ve seen him like this since….”

“Since when?” You ask leaning forward and silently begging her with your eyes to tell you. 

“Since… he couldn’t find you a couple of years ago. He was pretty devastated… I think he had this idea that you ran off with someone and he missed his chance with you.”

“I just don’t understand why he didn’t tell me years ago…”

“We all grew up together and to him, you were this amazingly perfect person that wouldn’t see him like that… he had it bad when we were younger. Every time you won against him he was always somewhere between embarrassed he lost and proud you won. It was pretty cute…”

You sigh with a soft smile on your face as you reminisce about your time growing up together. 

“I adored him… when I heard he was coming back home for a bit I ran…”

“That’s why you disappeared!?” Sonia exclaims.

You nod without meeting her gaze, “I was embarrassed… he’s the champion… the greatest champion… and I thought of myself as a failure.”

“You’re not a failure…” she says taking a step towards you, heartbreak in her eyes and her hands clasped together under her chin.

“I know that now… but I wasn’t in a good place then… I’ve improved a lot.” 

When you meet her gaze there is a familiar determination in your eyes. She remembers that look well. She saw it on your face during every battle, every lesson and every training session. Sonia remembers you as a force of nature and now she needs to make sure you see yourself that way too. 

“I need to get to the finals for me… for my team… for everyone who believes in me… I don’t know what to do about them now… especially now that Raihan’s in the picture…”

“Oh yeah… Rai won’t give you up very easily. He likes you a lot and he always goes for what he wants. He’s friends with Leon, but obviously he likes you enough to go head to head with him. Don’t get me wrong, he’ll respect your decision whatever it is, but be prepared for him to show you how he feels. Plus you like him too don’t you?” Nessa asks with a sly smirk.

You blush and look away, “I thought he was just kidding this entire time…”

“That’s because you haven’t thought yourself worthy of love with everything that happened in your past. You are. He’s going to make sure you know that too.”

Nessa nods sagely at her conclusion before she gives you a soft look.

“He likes you for you, don’t doubt that.”

You nod with tears in your eyes unable to speak. You shake your head to rid yourself of the emotions threatening to overwhelm you. 

“Thanks, guys… I’m going to train for a bit… you tap a couple of poke balls on your belt and Nile, your handsome Vaporeon pops out along with Hades, your Deino, and Serenity, your Hatenna. 

“Is this the team for Kabu?” Sonia asks.

“You have a Vaporeon!?” Squeals Nessa. 

You laugh, “Yeah, I do! He’s going to do amazing! I just know it!” 

Nile preens under the attention and happily flicks his fin-like tail before he happily struts around showing off his form proudly. 

You wave as you jog down the beach, your pokemon following along behind you. Nile splashes in the ocean kicking up the water around him. Serenity bounces along behind you and Deino sniffs the air as he easily keeps up. The sound of the waves soothes your mind as you continue your jog and slowly you allow yourself to get lost in thought. You hit a small cove and let out a sigh. You sit I think he sand and catch your breath before you start to train your team. The morning flies by and before you know it you are calling out the rest of your team and setting up to fix lunch. 

“You know you would think that after getting caught by yourself you would learn not to go off alone,” says a voice behind you.

You turn around and see a man standing on a rock overlooking the small cove. You get into a fighting stance summoning your pokemon to you. 

“I don’t need a babysitter. Who are you? What do you want?” You demand. 

The man is handsome in a devil may care kind of way. He has dark hair that falls into deep green eyes, he has a lean physique without being overly muscular. His stance is relaxed in his black ripped jeans and a black tee-shirt. 

“The names Aaron and I wanted to extend my invitation to you in person… I really wanted to meet you…” The way your name rolls off of his tongue is borderline seductive. 

“I don’t understand your interest in me…”

“You tamed a Deino in about five minutes flat. The team you’re raising already has much potential. You could do great things for our organization.”

“You mean you want me to train the pokemon you steal? Absolutely not.”

“Not all of them are stolen…” he says wistfully as he drops from the rock to the ground, his boots sinking into the sand. The light hiss beneath his feet as he approaches you inspires a sense of foreboding. 

“Some of them are bred for power, such as that Deino that you took from my subordinate.”

“Did you come here for him? Because I’m not letting you take him!”

“Such passion! No… consider him my gift to you. He needs someone who will mold him into the force that he’s meant to be. Besides, I know you’ll join me one day…”

“I will never join you!”

“I know you… I know what you’ve been through… You’ve faced fires that these children never have. Even the beloved champion will never understand you. You’ve changed too much from the little girl you once were.”

“You don’t know anything about me,” you spit at him.

“I was you… I was denied entry to the league. I was told I wasn’t good enough. And I proved them all wrong. I own Galar now,” he circles you like prey.

You glare at him, “I’m nothing like you. I would never take a pokemon from their owner or attack innocent people.”

“You don’t know what you’re capable of… You’ve already taken two pokemon that didn’t belong to you.”

“That was different!”

“Is it? What makes you different from us?” he asks as he tilts his head. 

Closing the distance between the two of you, he leans down until he’s just inches from you, his breath fanning your face. His eyes bore into yours and he smirks before he tilts his head almost innocently.

“Hmm?”

“Those pokemon were being mistreated.”

“So you have the right to take them?”

“They chose to be with me.”

“So you’re different?”

“I’m not like you if that’s what you mean.”

He smirks as he leans back, “Be looking for a present from me… One day you will make an excellent addition to my team. I’ll be unstoppable with you by my side,” his finger runs down your jaw and you jerk away from you.

“I don’t want your present, I don’t want to have anything to do with you,” your voice is like ice as you regard the man before you.

“Oh, you wound me…” he says with a chuckle as he holds his hand above his heart, “Play nice or you won’t get this little beauty back.”

He holds up a Pokeball and you glance down at your belt to notice that Davine’s Pokeball is gone.

“Give her back!” you yell, Serenity getting into position beside you.

“Make me, my darling,” he says with a smirk as he sends out a Hydreigon.

“How dare you! Serenity, no!” you yell as your tiny Hatenna rushes ahead of you, “Hades!”

“You think your little Hatenna and Deino can beat my Hydreigon? Think again darling! Dragon Rush!”

“Serenity! Hades! No!” You watch in horror as Serenity uses Deino’s head as a catapult as she jumps up into the air and releases her Disarming voice just as Hades unleashes a Dragon Breath. Neither attack does much damage and you grit your teeth in worry. You gasp as Nile rushes forward and attacks using his Aurora Beam. 

“Nile! Dodge!” you yelp as Hydreigon sends out a Dragon Pulse. He leaps out of the way in the nick of time as Serenity attacks with a Dazzling Gleam. One of Hydreigon’s heads bite down onto Serenity and you yell as she cries out as she’s thrown from the dragons’ mouth bouncing off of a rock before she falls to the ground. 

“Serenity! No!” You yell as you go to rush towards her. You’re thrown back and away landing hard on the sand. Axel and Arum leap towards you and stand protectively in front of you. 

“Such loyal pokemon you have… Impressive,” he says in a bored tone as he throws Davine’s Pokeball up and down in his hand. 

“Give her… back!” you demand as you sit up, coughing as you do so. 

He smirks, “You’re going to have to come get her…” he says as he turns to walk away.

Your eyes harden, “How dare you! You can’t just take her from me!” 

“If you’re too weak to protect your pokemon, you don’t deserve to keep them.”

“If it’s a fight you want…”

“Oh it is…” he purrs.

Your eyes narrow as you glare at him, “Fine,” you bite out as you stand up shakily. 

He tilts his head up as he regards you smugly, “There she is…”

“Hades! Go south! Axel, east side! Arum, west side! Nile, go north! You know what to do!”

Your pokemon scatter as Hades gets behind his future form and unleashes his attack as Axel nuzzles the dragon before he’s thrown back. Paralysis overtakes the beast slowing him down as Arum attacks from the side, she just barely escapes a body slam leaping up into the air and kicking the dragon hard. You gasp as a bright light encompasses your Steenee and when the light dims standing before you is Tsareena. 

“Arum… you evolved…” you say in surprise.

“How cute… You think you have a chance now? Think again! Hydreigon go! Body Slam!”

The dragon comes lumbering towards you, but before you are hit a bright light leaps in front of you and the dragon is thrown back as a powerful attack radiates from the light and when it clears Serenity has evolved into a Hattrem, a look of anger on her tiny face. 

“Such adoration… Do they know you’re going to fail?”

“I’m not going to fail. I refuse to fail anymore.” 

“Acid Armour, Nile! Then Aurora Beam! Dragon Breath! Hit him with your best shot! Axel, poison him! Arum, Stomp!”

“So ruthless…” he groans tilting his head back and stomping his foot before he fixes his almost heated gaze on you.

“You haven’t seen anything yet,” you growl at your opponent.

“Oh? Then show me…” he purrs.

Hydreigon roars as the attacks hit him all at once, Serenity unleashes another Dazzling Gleam. 

“Switch!” you yell and watch your pokemon easily rotate confusing the already damaged Hydreigon. He roars in anger and lashes out, hitting Axel again throwing the baby pokemon back. Serenity rushes towards him as Nile unleashes an attack to distract the dragon. She quickly heals him before standing protectively in front of the disoriented baby. The Hydreigon turns towards Nile and attempts to unleash another attack before Hades headbutts the pokemon to keep him distracted. He whips around and almost loses his balance before he rights himself. His large wings cause a burst of sand to assault the senses of Hades. Hydreigon unleashes a Dragon Pulse and catches Hades directly sending the much smaller dragon backward into the cliff behind him. 

“Hades!” you yell when he doesn’t get back up. Serenity attempts to get to her teammate but the Dragon whips around and with a well placed Dragon Tail knocks her back for a second time. 

“Serenity! Please get up!” Just as Hydreigon attempts to smash your partner, Arum rushes forward and snatches her out of the way, jumping to safety. You aren’t prepared for the battle cry Axel makes as a bright light engulfs his tiny frame. A smug smirk and a tilt of his head take the place of the pout your baby used to have. 

“Fascinating… They are evolving to save you… Look what I’ve done for you! Come with me now! I don’t think I can wait!” he practically sings as he gazes at your team. 

“They are my team and you have their sister and we aren’t resting until we have her back.”

He chuckles as he regards the pokemon before him with glee, “Such rage… I love it.”

You narrow your eyes, “Axel Venoshock! Take him out!”

With one final attack from your newly evolved Toxricity you watch as the dragon falls from the sky and lands with a crash. 

“You’ve evolved… Just like you’re pokemon… You will be my greatest ally. Just come with me, Darling. We could be great together!” He says his hands in the air before he beckons you towards him.

“I beat you,” you pant, “Now give her back.”

He chuckles but tosses the Pokeball at you as your team stands by your side, beaten and battered but still standing.

You stumble forward and catch the Pokeball, you release her and hold her close to you as tears threaten to fall. 

“Congratulations, you’ve passed. Expect your present soon my darling,” he winks and using two fingers blows you a kiss. 

“I’m not your darling and I don’t want anything from you,” you bite out.

“You’ll thank me later!” he calls over his shoulder as he walks away casually as if nothing just happened.

You collapse to the sand and a sob wracks your body. You feel helpless. Your pokemon gather around you as they attempt to comfort you the best they can.

“We have to get stronger,” you whisper, “we have to…”

Davine nuzzles against you with silent determination in her eyes. 

“I’m really proud of you all…” you gasp out between sobs, “So proud…”

They crowd around showing their support in any way they can. You really are proud of them, giving their all and evolving to fight against a force much more powerful than them. 

After you have reeled your emotions back in you stumble to your feet and make your way back towards town. You can hardly believe that you’ve met him, the man who runs the ring of thieves and he wants you. 

“What is happening…” you whisper as you gaze at the sky as tears threaten to fall once again. You’re in a daze as you stumble across the beach. 

Exhaustion overwhelms as you make your way towards the pokemon center. Once you’ve had your team healed you somehow make it back to the suite you are staying in with Leon and Raihan. The moment you walk into the room the guys leap up. 

Alarm goes through them at the sight of your shaky form. They rush towards you as you collapse into their arms. 

“What happened?”

“Who did this?!” 

“I met him…” you whisper.

“Met who?” asks Leon as he grasps your arms and holds you steady.

“The leader… he tried to take Davine… I almost didn’t beat him… I almost lost… She would have been gone…I would have failed…” you dissolve into sobs once again as Leon pulls you into a hug. 

Raihan paces before the two of you, his hands clenched into fists, he seems almost feral as he snarls out, “I’m going to kill him…”

“Rai…” you whimper, pulling away from Leon. 

He stops his pacing and he kneels before you, his hands grasping yours, “What is it, Princess?”

“Just be with me?” you ask quietly voice shaking with unshed tears. 

He looks heartbroken as he nods and gently pulls you into a hug. 

“Princess, can you tell us what happened?” Raihan mumbles into your hair. 

You heave a shaky breath and recount the events of your afternoon. You can feel Raihan shaking as he attempts to keep his rage in check. Leon is leaning forward, his cap covering his eyes as he sits dangerously still. 

“You don’t need to go off by yourself, someone needs to be with you at all times,” Leon growls as he gets up and begins to pace like a Pyroar. 

You look away and nod, tears in your eyes. 

“Hey, it’s going to be okay,” Raihan murmurs as he pulls you into him again. 

“I’m scared… I almost lost her. I’m not strong enough.”

“That’s what he wants you to think. He wants you to feel scared and helpless. You can’t give into him!” Insists Leon.

“Well…” you say standing up, “He succeeded.”

You walk from the living area into your temporary bedroom. Feelings that you’ve held at bay for months come crashing down on you as you feel yourself sink into the bed. This time tears don’t come as you lay there feeling nothing and everything all at once.

You feel the bed sink in next to you and a hand press against your arm. When you don’t shake him off he begins to run his hand up and down your arm soothingly. You bury your face into the pillow as you grasp his hand pulling him against you and curling around your clasped hands. He sighs into your hair as you feel his lips on your shoulder before he buries his face into your neck.

“I don’t know what I would have done if I lost you today,” you feel him shake his head as if trying to physically rid himself of the thought.

“I feel so helpless…” you whisper.

“You’re not. You won today, even with the odds stacked against you. You won.”

“If he has other Pokémon that are just as strong…”

“You can’t think about that right now. We’re going to get through this. I promise.”

You nod as exhaustion takes and you fall into a fitful sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this was an intense chapter! I hope you enjoyed it anyway! Please love in the comments below!


	12. Invisible Chains

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dealing with the aftermath of your run-in with Aaron isn't fun but necessary. Also, you and the guys get lost and tension runs high between well... everyone.

You heave a sigh as you roll over in bed, your arm coming to rest on your forehead before you run your hand down your face. Your eyes are swollen from crying and feel dry and scratchy. You feel stuffy and sniffle a few times before you cough trying to clear your throat of the congestion. Letting out a groan you roll over once again and pull the pillow towards your face and bury yourself into the softness. Maybe, if you hide long enough the world will forget that you exist. 

You blink into the morning light a few times and you feel yourself slipping farther away and you fight it, you really do. The darkness that you feel and for a moment you are surprised at how fragile you are. How one experience can break you into pieces once again. You heave another sigh as you sit up in bed, the sheets pooling around your waist and you lean forward. Your head is in your hands and you feel heavy. The kind of heavy that comes with too much crying and not enough sleep. The kind of heavy that comes with feelings that are a little too much sometimes. You rub your eyes and blink away exhaustion the best that you can and slowly drag yourself out of bed. 

“I’m going to need better glue this time…” you mutter as you head for the shower. 

After you’ve gotten ready for the day you stumble out of your room and gaze around the living area. Both Leon and Raihan are there and stop talking the minute you open the door. 

“How are you feeling?” questions Leon as he walks over to you. His large hands are on your arms and he’s gently rubbing up and down as he attempts to comfort you. You give him a hesitant smile and nod, not really ready to talk about anything yet. 

“You want coffee? Breakfast?” questions Raihan from his place on the sofa, he gets up a moment later, “What do you want? I’ll grab it for you.”

“I’m okay…” you mutter as you avoid his eyes. 

“Hey… please talk to us…” Leon pleads.

“What do you need, princess?” 

“I don’t really know…” you say with a shake of your head. You gaze out the window to the blue sky outside. It’s going to be a beautiful day. 

You shake off Leon’s hands and ignore the hurt on his face as you cross your arms and lean against the counter in the small kitchenette. 

“I want to try to get some training done today…”

“Someone needs to go with you,” Leon says before you can even finish your thoughts. 

“I know… I just… would rather it not be either of… you…”

You look away to avoid the looks of surprise and hurt on their faces.

“Look we get that you need your space right now, but I would really feel better if we came with you,” Raihan says slowly, carefully choosing his words. 

You hug yourself tighter, you don’t want them to see you like this.

“I would just-”

“We’re coming with you. Those bastards have gotten to you twice and I don’t trust anyone else to watch out for you. I went to the Board yesterday to talk to them about this situation and we’re going to be working closely with the police. You’re a confirmed target and the only reason you haven’t talked to the police yet is because I know you don’t want to right now. If you need some time that’s fine, but we will always be within earshot, okay? You can’t be alone right now,” Leon asserts.

You just nod, you know he’s right and to argue with him would be fruitless especially after what happened yesterday. You could practically feel the eggshells the guys are walking on around you. You don’t want to be delicate. You don’t want to be someone that has to be taken care of. You don’t want to be broken anymore…

“Alright, let’s get breakfast and head out. You can shoot some footage for your fans today while you train.”

“Is that really important Raihan?” Leon asks in exasperation. 

“If she’s going to be one of the top trainers in the League then it sure is! Plus the more of a following she has the more people there are around her and the fewer chances these assholes have of getting her alone.”

“I hadn’t thought of that…”

Raihan taps his head with a smirk as he wraps an arm around your shoulders and pulls you against him. 

“Come on, princess. We’ve got to make you invincible.”

You smile a little as he leads you outside. You release your current team and the guys gasp as they see the changes that befell them yesterday. 

“Whoa! Half your team evolved!” exclaims Raihan as Leon smiles brightly at you. 

“You’re getting stronger mate! I’m going to have to watch out!” Leon says a smirk as he glances over at you, before going back to studying your team. 

“Yeah… they all did amazing yesterday…” you say softly a small smile on your face as you regard your team. They all perk up at the compliment. 

You get to work training your team and thankfully it takes your mind off of yesterday’s events. You rotate out your team in order to train some of your other pokemon as well. Queenie, your Vespiquen, and Zuko, your Charmander, along with Bastet your Eevee.

The day ends with the guys setting up a picnic on the hill overlooking the ocean. The sun is setting and you gratefully take the food the guys got for you as you sit on a blanket. 

Bastet and Nile are frolicking a little ways away, Arum, Serenity, and Queenie are chatting among themselves as they watch over Zuko and Axel as the duo tumbles around in the grass. Hades and Davine are lazing next to one another under the setting sun. Davine having warmed up to the well-meaning dragon after his heroics yesterday. You assume she has forgiven him for biting her nose. 

“You know… If you caught a Ralts, Gothita, and Snorunt, you could have a pretty cool team of kick-ass ladies.” Raihan says out of nowhere. 

“Maybe I will…” you say as you watch your team. 

“You’ve got a pretty good lineup so far… plus the training you did today seemed to do a lot of good!”

“It’s not enough…” you say as you glare into the sunset. 

The guys glance over at you in worry and surprise, “You really shouldn’t-” 

You cut Leon off, “I have to be hard on myself Lee… if I’m not how am I ever going to get stronger? You guys can’t protect me forever.”

Leon looks away as he gazes out at the ocean and grits his teeth. You can feel the anger coursing off of him. A cloud of gloom has enveloped the three of you as you watch the sunset. What should be a relaxing time is ruined by your foul mood and you feel guilt eat you up. You’re lost in thought when you feel a force hit you from behind and send you flying forward, face-first into the soft grass. The guys land next to you with angry and indignant cries. You all turn around to see Serenity glaring at you all. You blink at her for a moment before a laugh escapes. You glance over at Raihan to see his beanie almost over his eyes with grass stuck in his dreads and Leon’s hat tilted at an odd angle with a leaf stuck to his face, and you laugh some more. The guys look to one another then back to you before they join in. A squeal of delight can be heard over the hills as Queenie rushes up to Leon and grabs his hat off his head before flying off. 

“Hey!” he laughs before he climbs to his feet and chases after the bee pokemon. 

Hades rushes up to Raihan and tackles the Dragon Tamer to the ground and the two begin to play wrestle. Serenity bounds up to you and gazes up at you with happy eyes as you laugh at the antics around you. 

“I’m okay… I used stronger glue this time…” you say as you pull her towards you. She happily snuggles against you before Davines rushes up to you both and leaps onto your back and chirps happily as you greet her. The rest of your pokemon soon join in either dogpiling Raihan or chasing after Leon and Queenie. Eventually though, they all drift over to you and you feel them one by one curl up as close as they can to you and drift off to sleep. As you gaze around your team and your friends you realize that you aren’t alone this time and that makes all the difference in the world. 

A sudden jolt from your bag has you glancing down at it. Your eyes widen as you take the egg out of your bag and place it into your lap. Nile and Bastet have their paws on your thighs as they gaze intently at the egg as it rolls and wiggles around. Suddenly the top of the Egg cracks. 

“It’s hatching!!” Yells Raihan as he commands his phone to video the whole thing. 

The top of the egg suddenly pops off and gazing up at you with big brown eyes is a tiny Eevee baby. Bastet and Nile are nuzzling the baby happily as they all crawl into your lap. They begin to lick the baby happily, cleaning her and grooming her. You gently lift her from the shell and allow it to fall to the blanket. 

“Aren’t you two proud?” you ask them happily. They chirp up at you before going back to grooming their baby. 

A ping alerts you to a notification on your phone. You see where Raihan sent you the video and you smile up at him. The guys are leaning over your shoulder gazing happily down at the tiny family. 

“She’s going to be the luckiest Eevee in the world,” chuckles Leon. Your other pokemon gather around to greet the newest addition. 

“Looks like you have another Eevee to evolve,” Raihan murmurs as he stands up and crosses his arms. 

“She just hatched, it’s a little early for that don’t you think?”

You all stay a little longer, until the chill of the night gets a little too much for you and the guys are arguing over whose jacket you are wearing back to the Inn. You ignore them and give Charmander a piggy back ride which keeps you warm enough.

“You know you look good with a Charmander, love…” Leon says, a heat to his gaze that wasn’t there before as he watches you carry the fire lizard back to the Inn. You blush as you glance over your shoulder at him.

“You think so?”

“I do…” he says with a nod and a content smile. 

Raihan frowns at the realization that you are training Leon’s signature Pokemon. 

“You know you could always train a Trapinch…. I could get you one…” Raihan supplies while he crosses his arms behind his head. You know he’s trying to be nonchalant about it, but you can hear the slight tones of jealousy in his voice. 

“Don’t you think I have enough dragons to train Rai?” you ask as you glance back at him. 

“Char!” Zuko agrees from your back as he snuggles closer to you. 

Raihan scoffs, “You can never have too many dragons to train.” 

“Raihan…” you mutter with exhaustion, “I’m good, but thank you. Maybe I’ll train one later after I feel good about my current team. 

“But Trapinch is a Ground type! You could use a good ground type!”

You roll your eyes, “That evolves into a dragon/ground type.”

“What, you aren’t… jealous… that she’s training a Charmander are you?” Leon asks slyly a look of amusement on his features. 

“Of course not!”

“Sounds like you are…”

You glance over your shoulder to see the tables turned for once. Leon has a smirk on his face and he looks like he’s enjoying the scowl on Raihan’s. You’ve now been traveling with the duo long enough to realize when Raihan is hurt though. The man is cocky and prideful, so you know his incessant losses to Leon grate on him, even if he doesn’t show it. You can see in the slump of his shoulders that your refusal to train his signature pokemon hurt his feelings. 

With a sigh you turn back to the front, “I’ll consider training a Trapinch Rai…”

“You will?!”

“If we can find one…”

“Oh I can find one alright!”

You shake your head as you glance back at him once again. This time there is a grin on his face and when he catches your eye he winks at you. 

“You know, if she trains too many dragons she just might take your gym, Raihan,” laughs Leon as he smirks at his friend and rival. 

“She can have my gym when I take your title. What do you think all of this is for?” Raihan smirks back. 

“Oh boy…” you mutter to Zuko, “Here they go again…”

“How long have you been trying to take my title? Six years now?”

The fire lizard nods sympathetically at you. The two of you ignore the duo and continue down the lane until you get back to the Inn. You are pleased the day turned out how it did. The storm clouds might still be in your mind, but you are coping better with them. You know it has a lot to do with your team and support you have from Leon and Raihan. Shutting yourself off like you did before isn’t going to help you. 

“I think I really want to open a rescue…” you say softly as you stop and gaze up at the moon that’s hanging low in the sky. The two men behind you abruptly stop arguing at your statement and turn to face you. “Maybe I could be a gym leader too… You guys house abused and abandoned pokemon right?”

You glance over your shoulder at Raihan and regard him curiously. 

“Uhh yeah, we do a lot of rehabilitation and rehoming in the off season especially,” Raihan says as he scratches the back of his head. 

“Hmm…” you hum as you gaze back up at the stars, “Yes… that sounds like a good idea…” 

You nod to yourself as if to show that your mind's made up before you head into the Inn, the duo following close behind you. 

When you get to the room you post the video of your newly hatched Eevee and watch in amusement as the comments are flooded with fans cooing in awe over the baby pokemon. You thought about posting some photos of your newly evolved pokemon but think better of it. You don’t want future competition to know your team too early. 

A pair of arms wrap around you and you lean back into a strong chest. 

“You did good today, Princess.”

“Thanks, Rai,” you say as you feel his arms give you a gentle squeeze. 

He hums in your ear as the two of you settle against one another, his presence giving you a sense of peace. The sound of steady breathing and his heartbeat soothes your turbulent mind. There is still so much going on in your head that it’s hard to focus on one thing. 

“What are you thinking about?” he softly asks, his fingers running through your hair. .

“So many things…” you murmur with a sigh.

“Like what?”

“Like…” you pause in thought trying to gather your words, “Like how I need to be stronger, not just my team but me. I let the pressure get to me too much. I need to be stronger menatally and emotionally for them and for myself. What’s going to happen with you and Lee… Will it destroy my friendship with one of you, will it destroy your friendship with each other? What is going to happen with the League? What does my future hold? Can I really do this? How do I deal with the organization? Will they steal my team? Will they hurt my friends or family just to get to me? How far will they go? Why me?”

By the end of your rant tears have welled up in your eyes as they threaten to fall. You feel Raihan gently turn your face to his. He wipes your cheek gently with his thumb and you feel your heart race. 

“I can’t promise that nothing is going to happen or that your fears aren’t unfounded, but I can promise you I will do everything in my power to make sure that nothing happens to you. Those assholes aren’t getting anywhere near you while I’m around. And to take at least a little bit off your mind. Even if we don’t work out, I wouldn’t stop being your friend. I can’t say it wouldn’t be hard, because we’re going to be great together,” he says with a wink as you giggle, “but I won’t let that get in the way of our friendship. I meant what I said when I told you I would be there for you. As for Lee and me… don’t even worry about it. We’ve already talked and we respect your decision regardless of what it is and it’s not going to affect our friendship.” 

“I’m glad… I was afraid that regardless of what happens in the future that I would lose one of you… or both of you…”

“Not gonna happen.”

You turn and bury your face in his chest and just inhale his scent. He smells like pine mixed with his cologne, a clean yet spicy scent. Your arms wrap around his chest and you allow yourself to just be for a moment. 

“You know you’re getting stronger everyday, just be patient…” He murmurs against your hair.

“I don’t have time to be patient Rai… What if something happens? What if next time I’m not so lucky?”

“You weren’t lucky this time. You’re a great trainer, you’re skilled and your team loves you. They would do anything for you.”

“It still feels lucky Rai… Like at any moment I could have been defeated and then I would have lost Davine or one of my other Pokemon. I was almost helpless.”

“You know he wants you to doubt yourself right? Because if you’re confident in yourself and your abilities then you don’t need him. He needs you to need him. That’s the only way this is going to work.”

He pulls you against him and presses a soft kiss to your forehead as you close your eyes as you nod against him. 

“I’ll be okay…” you whisper.

“I know you will.”

You feel yourself relax against him and slowly drift off to sleep. 

Yes… things are definitely different this time.

*~*~*~*

Over the next few days you continue your training and watch happily as your team improves. When you are finally sure that your Pokemon are ready to face Kabu the three of you leave Hulbruy. Nessa and Sonia happily see you off stating they will see you soon and you wave with a bittersweet smile on your face. 

You end up heading through the caves in order to get back to Motostoke. 

Raihan shivers as he regards the dark and damp surroundings. 

“I don’t like this place…” he winces as a droplet of water assaults his head and he brings his hand up to rub in annoyance at the wet spot before putting his hood up. He crosses his arms against the chill in the air and you giggle as you watch him pout.

“Isn’t this the cave you fell into the water in?” asks Leon after a pause, laughing as he does so. 

Raihan whips his head around to face his friend, “What are you laughing about?! The only reason I fell in was because I was looking for your lost ass! How did you even manage to get on the other side of the pond?”

“What?” you questions looking between the two men in confusion.

“Leon was calling out for help because he got lost in here and I heard him so I went looking for him. It’s dark so I didn’t see the water when I found him, so I walked right into the pond and tripped. I was soaked and there Leon was just dandy as he laughed at me after I went to go find him!”

Leon laughs at the memory as Raihan swipes at him, “Not funny bro!” But there is a smile on his face as he does so. You shake your head at their antics as you make your way through the cave. You accidentally step on one of those weird looking pokemon, scaring you half to death and battling it.

“I hate those things!” you say skirting around another one. 

Leon casually wraps his arm around you as he guides you away from another one. You shudder as you lean closer to his form and he presses you happily against him. He leaves his arm around you as the three of you continue to the end of the cave casually batting the inhabitants of the cave but not really seeking out battles. You giggle as a Noibat swoops down around your head and you bat it away. 

“You don’t want to catch one?” Leon asks glancing up at the tiny bat like pokemon. 

It swoops down again and ruffles your hair as you duck. You chuckle as you glance up at the playful pokemon. 

“No way!” exclaims Raihan suddenly, “No more dragons until you get a Trapinch!”

“They’re so cute though!” you exclaim looking up with a giggle at the purple bats flying around. 

You don’t notice the way both men’s gazes soften as they watch you hold out your hand a Noibat smaller than the others lands on your arm. The tiny bat chirps up at you with big eyes before it jumps up into your hair. 

“Oh!” you exclaim as the pokemon makes himself or herself comfortable on your head and looks around in wonder at the others flying around. 

“I swear you’re the pokemon whisperer… “ Leon says as he regards the creature on your head with wide eyed wonder.

“They know she’s meant to be a Dragon Tamer, only certain people are you know…” Says Raihan pride dripping from his voice as he can’t help but chuckle at the tiny pokemon on your head. 

“Is that true Rai?” you ask curiously.

“Sure is Princess, there is this old legend that dragons can sense the heart of trainers. You don’t just train a dragon they have to choose you. They say that back before Pokeballs were even thought of that those training dragons were revered because they so rarely choose a trainer, but when they did the trainers were said to be extraordinary.”

You blink in wonder at the story, “They choose you?”

“Of course, didn’t both Davine and Hades choose you?”

You blink at the man before you. Did they? You recall your meeting with both dragons before your thoughts are interrupted as a Noibat dives down and nips at the one on your head. You duck and let out an annoyed ‘Hey!’ but you can sense the tension in the tiny bat like pokemon now nestled in your hair trembling slightly. As another one drives down to assault the tiny Noibat, you realize that it’s a runt and they are picking on him. Your arms go up defensively to shield it from its attackers as you glower at the pokemon in the vicinity. 

“They are attacking it?!” Leon shouts in surprise, swatting another one that dove down almost knocking into him. 

“Oh absolutely not,” you murmur as you pull out a pokeball from your hip. Axel is out in a moment the cocky tilt of his head showing his confidence in himself. Perhaps it wasn’t fair of you to sic your amped up Toxtricity on the Noibat in the area, but they were being mean!

You know that this little guy will be coming with you, you couldn’t just leave him here! You order Axel to attack the group picking on the tiny creature perched on your head. After letting out a shock you watch as several of the Noibats fall out of the sky with cries of pain. 

You humph as you cross your arms, “Maybe next time they won’t be so mean…” 

Your triumph is interrupted by the sound of beating wings against the cave walls and the next thing you know a swarm of Noibat swoops down on you all. With cries of panic you all start to run away from the swarm due to the amount of pokemon filling the cave you can hardly see anything. A hand clamps around your wrist and you are led through the cave swatting and squealing at the pokemon surrounding you. When the pokemon finally calm down and you are able to stop running you look up and see Leon next to you. You glance around and see no sign of Raihan. 

“Where’s Raihan?” you ask looking around the cave.

“I don’t know… I thought he was following us…”

“Where even are we?” you ask looking around the dim and damp cave. 

“Uh…”

That is the moment you realize your mistake. Leon is awful with directions even when he can see let alone when he can’t. 

“We’re lost aren’t we?” you ask looking around with a monotone voice. 

“I’m sure we can find our way back!”

“That’s… not what I asked…” you say as you slump your shoulders feeling quite deflated. There is a tiny squeak that comes from the top of your head and your hand flies up to gently stroke the tiny pokemon still perched there. 

“I forgot you were there!” you exclaim as you stroke the soft fur under your fingers. 

“Hey! Do you think he will help us get out? He must know his way around the cave!”

The Noibat gets up and flutters before the two of you before sinking to the floor and holding a tiny claw up to his small chin. He looks around before starting off down a tunnel and the two of you follow along behind him. In the meantime you take out your phone and send Raihan a text. When he doesn’t answer after a few minutes you try calling him. 

“What are you doing?” Leon asks as you pout as Raihan’s voicemail picks up. 

“Trying to call Rai… He’s not answering my texts…” you murmur furrowing your brows as you regard your phone. 

“Raihan!” calls out Leon his voice bouncing off the walls in the cave. You frown when you don’t hear an answer. 

“You think he’s okay?” you ask as you grow more worried by the minute. 

“Of course he is! Raihan is a great trainer, I’m sure he’s fine!” Leon reassures you with a hand on your shoulder. You nod as you look away from him. 

“I’m just worried… what if something happened to him?”

“Like what?”

“What if when he was running from the Noibat he tripped on a rock and fell and now he’s bleeding! Or he’s unconscious and he fell into the water and he’s drowning!” you say in horror.

“Well uhh… That got dark really quickly…”

“Leon!”

“I’m sure he’s fine! You know him, he probably just got lost,” Leon says as he adjusts his cap nervously. 

“Lee… Sweetie… that’s you… you’re the one who gets lost…” you say in a delicate tone. 

“I’m not the only person in the world who can get lost!” he says defensively. 

“I know that I’m just saying that between the two of you… the more likely to get lost is… you.”

Leon looks ahead with a sour look on his handsome face. It isn’t long until you’re back where you started from with no sign of Raihan. 

“Maybe he’s at the end of the cave. He probably figured he would just meet us on the other side…” He murmurs but you can hear the concern in his voice. 

“Yeah, you’re probably right…” you crossing your arms.

The two of you nod to one another as you make your way to the end of the cave. When you make it out to the other side there is still no sign of Raihan. 

“It’s still daylight…” you say in wonder looking up at the bright sky. 

“Yeah I couldn’t tell what time of day it was in there, I thought it was way later…” 

“We should go back and look for Raihan,” you say, turning towards Leon with a slight fear in your eyes. 

He just nods his agreement and the two of you turn around and head back the way you came. The tiny Noibat jumps back onto your head he seems far happier riding with you than flying or walking, but you don’t mind. He’s too cute for you to say no to. You search the cave for hours with no sign of Raihan and with a defeated sigh you suggest setting up camp for the night, worry eating away at you from the inside out. 

The two of you are unusually quiet as you set up a makeshift camp since Raihan has the tent you all usually share. You make a small fire with Zuko’s help, the small fire lizard happily trailing along behind Lee’s Charizard everywhere he went after his job was done. You notice that Chaizard seems happy to have another of his kind and spends the evening showing the tiny lizard new moves and the correct way to breath fire. After Leon finishes setting up your sleeping bags he comes up behind you and wraps his arms around your waist as you cook dinner. He presses his face into your neck and tightens his grip when you lean back into him. 

“How are you holding up?” Leon asks softly, his lips tickling your neck. 

You shiver in his grasp before you nod softly, “I’m okay… my thoughts ran away with me earlier..”

“I figured they did…” he murmurs as he presses a soft kiss to your hair.

“I’m sorry…”

“Don’t be… You’re worried and you have every right to be. This is also on top of everything else that’s happened in the past few days,” he murmurs against your hair as his hands run up and down your arms. You like his hands. You didn’t know it was possible to like another human’s hands so much but you love his. You love how safe they make you feel.

“Arceus… I freaked out about that too…” you grumble in embarrassment. 

“Hey…” he says softly, “It’s okay… you don’t always have to be the strongest person in the room you know?”

You hang your head and vaguely wonder when Leon figured you out. 

“It feels like I do…”

“You don’t… it’s okay for you to rely on someone else every once in a while,” his voice is soothing as he holds you close. 

“I’ve just… been on my own for so long that… it’s hard… It’s hard for me to let you and Raihan do things for me. It’s hard for me to let you guys protect me. I’m used to it only being me. I’m used to being the only person I can rely on…” you look to the side avoiding his gaze. 

He buries his face in your neck again, “But you're not alone anymore. You have me… You’ve always had me, even when you didn’t know you did.”

“Lee…” you murmur with tears in your eyes. You turn in his arms and wrap your arms around his middle burying your face into his chest. He hugs you close to him and the two of you gently rock back and forth. 

Dinner that evening is a quiet affair even the Pokémon aren’t their usual rambunctious selves. You know you all feel the void that Raihan’s presence fills. Leaning into Leon you rest your head on his shoulder as he pulls you close to him. 

“I’m worried about Raihan,” he says, interrupting the silence, “but I’m glad I get you to myself tonight.”

You giggle as you glance up at him through your lashes.

“Oh really?” You challenge, “What are you going to do now that you do?”

He leans in until his face is inches from yours. You can feel his breath fanning over your face, but you are too lost in the golden hue of his eyes to notice. 

“This…” he whispers as he inches closer to you. 

“There you two are!” Exclaims a familiar voice.

You both jerk away from one another like you had been caught doing something wrong. A moment later you both leap to your feet and rush towards the figure making his way towards you in the dark. Raihan’s arms are behind his head as he casually walks up to the two of you.

“Where have you been!? We were so worried!” You exclaim as you wrap your arms around him. 

“Yeah… you looked really worried…” he says his eyes catching Leon’s, a hard edge to his gaze. 

“Rai! We spent all day looking for you! What happened!?”

“Ughhh… my phone broke… so I went to go get a new one…”

“And you didn’t think to find us or tell us… or call us when you got your new phone?” You ask anger tinting your voice.

“I did try to call! I tried to let you guys know I was already in Motostoke, but there must not have been a signal where you were because it kept going to voicemail. So I came back to find you guys.”

“Raihan I thought something terrible happened to you! Like you were seriously hurt! Or dying!”

“Hey now I-“

“No. You should have found us, we could have gone together to get a new phone for you, instead we spent all day wandering the caves looking for you thinking the worst. We were really worried and scared and you literally left us here with no indication that you were fine. I honestly can’t believe you right now.” 

Raihan looks away from you with shame on his face, “you’re right… that was really thoughtless of me… I’m sorry.” 

You sigh as you run your fingers through your already disheveled hair, “It’s fine… let get some sleep…”

You turn and head towards your sleeping bag as the two men exchange concerned looks. Neither of them have really seen you mad and they vaguely wonder what that means for tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading! I hope you will drop a comment and leave me some love! Also, if you are interested on my Tumblr an awesome fan drew Aaron! You can find me here: https://stillchaoticlogic.tumblr.com/


	13. As She Pleases

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You win a gym badge and it was way harder than you thought! That's not it though! Leon and Raihan are stepping up their game, can you handle the heat? After all, they are playing for keeps.

The chill of the next morning is nothing compared to your frosty demeanor. Not only are you a little upset with Raihan after his disappearing act yesterday, but today is the day that you will defeat Kabu. You’ve trained hard for this moment over the past few days and you finally feel ready. You're lucky that Motostoke is just over the bridge and despite your night in the cool air of the cave you are excited. For the first time in days, you can feel the adrenaline in your veins. For the barest of moments, you feared something that you loved, that you are meant to do. 

Standing outside of the Motostoke gym you take a deep breath and with a controlled released you calm your nerves. Walking up the steps you hear the small crowd that has gathered around send you well wishes and luck. Once inside you feel calm and stillness takes over your form. You are ready.

Being one of the first on the roster for today you don’t have to wait long for your turn. You hear some whispering from the corner and notice a few younger competitors whispering and pointing at you. You ignore it. You don’t have time to worry about them, you have a badge to win. 

Your name is called and as you stand you hear one of the girls call out, “Hey! Good luck out there!”

You glance over your shoulder and they both give you a smile and wave. You return their smile with a small one of your own and wave back. 

“Thanks!” you say with a nod. 

You notice the three patches of grass and three trainers waiting for you. The referee hands you some Pokeballs and instructs you to either catch the wild pokemon or defeat the challenger. 

“The battles end when you complete one of the requirements.”

You nod to show your understanding before you walk towards your first opponent. The battle begins with a Sizzlepede and a Growlith as the trainer’s Pokemon. Sending out Nile your Vaporeon you make quick work of both Pokemon. 

You notice the trainer pouting, a young-looking trainer, “You only had to defeat one, you didn’t have to show off…”

You quirk a brow and just shrug before you move on to your next opponent. The next two battles end similarly as you defeat the opponents put before you with a command and a tilt of your head. You aren’t quite ready to admit that Raihan’s stunt put you in a mood, so you just ignore it. 

As you step out onto the pitch you feel a familiar thrum in your body. You love the rush. You walk out onto the field at the same time as Kabu and meet him in the center. 

“As the endorsee of Leon, I expect great things from you,” he says as he holds your gaze with a meaningful one of his own. 

Your eyes widen just a fraction before you nod in understanding, “I won’t let you down.”

The two of you shake hands before you walk to your respective sides of the field. 

Your breath catches in your throat as he sends out a Ninetails for his pokemon. Calling out Serenity she thrills much to the excitement of the crowd. Your newly evolved Hattrem regards her opponent seriously. You can practically feel her excitement at the battle before her.

“Ninetails, Will-o-wisp!” Kabu calls out as you demand that Serenity dodge. 

“Dazzling Gleam, Serenity! Don’t get burned!”

You wince as she’s unable to dodge the attack and you frown as she flinches from the burn that she is now suffering from. You curse under your breath as her own attack misses the Ninetails before her. 

“Shake it off, Serenity! Use Aromatherapy!”

“Don’t let her heal, use hex!” Kabu exclaims. 

You’re amazed at the speed of his Ninetails. His attack lands before Serenity even has time to blink. You stumble back from the force realizing that you severely underestimated Ninetails speed. Serenity stands up shaking off the brunt of the attack and unleashing her Aromatherapy to rid herself of the burn. You narrow your eyes as you regard Kabu. The man is completely calm and focused, nothing else in the world matters more to him than this battle right here. You shake your head clearing it of the feelings beginning to creep up on you. 

“Psybeam, Serenity!”

“Finish her with a Flamethrower!” 

The two Pokemon unleash their attacks at the same time and you gaze in shock as Ninetails easily overpowers Serenity knocking her unconscious. You recall Serenity and tell her good job as you cradle her Pokeball for a moment. You’re a little rattled by how easily his Ninetails defeated her, but you knew this would be a big battle. Kabu weeds the weakest trainers out. Dreams have died in this arena. You have no intention of being one of the weak ones.

Pulling out the next Pokemon you summon your Toxricity, “Axel! It’s your turn!”

Axel takes the field regarding his opponent lazily, “Let’s start this off right! Screech!”

Strumming his fingers across his chest an ear-piercing sound fills the arena making Ninetails flinch back. 

“Toxic!”

“Safeguard!”

“Hurry!”

With the Ninetails still reeling from the screech, he isn’t quite fast enough to avoid the poison that Axel spits out. You watch intensively as Ninetails shakes its head trying to rid itself of the toxins now enveloping it. 

“Finish him with Venoshock!”

The final move does the Ninetails in as he faints after the final blow. Kabu only nods as he recalls his Pokemon and thank him quietly. Summoning Arcanine onto the field you heave a large breath at your opponent. You’re a little nervous. Kabu’s first Pokemon wasn’t supposed to take out Serenity. 

“Agility! Then Flame Wheel!” Kabu calls out without a second's notice. 

“Nuzzle!” 

You curse as Arcanine doesn’t even flinch as he avoids Axel’s attack and hits him with the Flame wheel attack. His speed is steadily growing. 

“Shock wave!”

“Flame Thrower!”

You’re shocked when Axel’s attack does almost no damage despite the clean hit. A gasp escapes as Axel is thrown back from the attack. 

“Flame Wheel!”

“Venoshock!”

Your attack doesn’t even matter as the Flame Wheel deals the finishing blow to Axel. You steel yourself against your panic as you pull out your third Pokemon. You close your eyes as you mutter a soft ‘I know you can do this,’ before you release Hades your Deino. 

Gazing at your dragon you hope that the crowd isn’t too much for him. The moment they see him they go wild and you tense as he flinches from the noise. 

‘It’s too soon…’ you think as you watch slight panic take over your dragon. He whips his head from one side to the other obviously overwhelmed by his surroundings. 

“Hades… buddy… you’re fine…” you soothe the frazzled dragon. 

Hades head perks up at your voice and you notice the way he stills. 

“Good boy…” you murmur, “Dragon Breath.”

“Flame Thrower,” Kabu doesn’t hesitate and neither does his Arcanine, however, Hades does just a second. His blast is cut off before he can even get it started and he’s thrown back. 

“Hades, you’ve got this! Just get up.”

Shaking his head he stands up much less damaged than you thought he would be. 

“Assurance!”

“Fire Fang.”

You flinch as Arcanine bites down on Hades neck fire engulfing the bite. Hades cries out before dark energy surrounds him and he throws Arcanine off. Your fists clench as you notice Arcanine stand up after the attack and shake his head before getting into a defensive stance waiting for his next command. Meanwhile, Hades is panting and you know all it will take is one more hit. 

“Crunch!”

“Take Down!”

Your eyes close as Arcanine’s attack hits the same time Hades latches on. Your dragon doesn’t have a chance as he goes down with the hit. You inhale as you recall Hades and you can hear murmurs in the crowd. You do your best to ignore them as you whisper sweet words to Hades, not wanting your sweet dragon to think you are upset with him. 

You square your shoulders as you make your decision and send Nile out. You know it’s much earlier than you wanted, but he’s the only one who can stand up to the Arcanine. 

“Let’s even the playing field a little shall we? Haze!”

A mist covers the arena and Arcanine sneezes as it falls onto him lowering the elevated speed he had. 

Kabu narrows his eyes, “Burn up.”

You curse remembering the point of that move, to get rid of the fire typing. 

“Quick, Nile! Water Pulse!”

He’s too late, Arcanine essentially catches himself on fire using up all of the energy stored in his body. You know for a fact that the water type moves you were relying on to make this a quick battle are now almost useless. 

The water pulse hits Arcanine head-on, and he stumbles back but it does far less damage than you wanted it to. 

“Crunch! Arcanine!”

“Acid Armor!” 

You heave a sigh of relief when Nile practically liquifies himself in the center of the arena, the powerful attack doing almost no damage to the translucent Pokemon. 

“Aurora Beam!”

“Extreme Speed then Take Down.”

Nile’s Aurora Beam misses and the combination of the two moves catches Nile off guard. He’s severely damaged and while Arcanine is finally feeling the effects of battle you know this next one needs to count. 

“Water Pulse!”

“Finish this with Take Down.”

Arcanine powers through the water blast head-on and takes out Nile. Your heart is racing as you call back Nile and congratulate him on a great battle. You can see that one more attack will do Arcanine in and summon your second to last Pokemon. 

“Echo! Let’s do this!” Your tiny Noibat regards the arena in intrigue as he takes in the huge stadium. You’re a little surprised when he flies around the stadium investigating the new place sending out little squeaks as he does so to map it. 

“Come on, Echo! No time to mess around! We need to finish this! Air Cutter!”

Like a switch being flipped the tiny bat dives towards the dog-like Pokemon before slicing the air with his wings. The blades of wind hit Arcanine head-on and you watch in relief as he goes down. You might have won this battle, but there is still a war to win. Kabu’s final and strongest Pokemon appears on the field far sooner than you would have liked. 

Centiskorch.

You falter for only a moment remembering the moment Aaron’s Hydredgion emerged as your opponent. You feel a stillness come over you that you remember. You’ve faced these feelings before fear, self-doubt, and panic. You smile suddenly, you’ve already overcome them once so you already know you can do it again. With renewed vigor, you call back Echo at the same time Kabu does. The Pokeball grows in your hands before you heave it behind you a confident smirk on your face. 

Both Pokemon grow to about ten times their height and with confidence you call out your attack. 

“Max Airstream, Echo!”

The not so tiny bat thrills, his voice distorted by the sheer size, as he unleashes his attack the same time Centiskorch unleashes a Max Flare. You're proud when Echo takes the attack but you can tell it rattled your newest member. You haven’t had much of a chance to train him and this is the moment that it will show. The second attack from Kabu is unleashed moments after the first. You know precisely what he’s doing, he’s concerned that the advantage Echo has over Centiskorch will decide the battle. 

You command Echo to unleash another Max Airstream, but before you do you notice the Noibat taking a step back. He’s hesitating and that is his downfall. Too rattled by the sheer power of Kabu’s final Pokemon coupled with his past it is too much. You curse under your breath as Echo falls shrinking down in size before returning fully. 

Taking a deep breath you murmur soothing words as you unleash your final Pokemon. 

Davine, your Jangmo-o, is so tiny in comparison to the monstrous fire-bug before her. You’re so proud when she stands tall and regards him coolly. She is miles from where she was a month and a half ago.

“Iron Defense!” you call out. You watch as her scales rustle with the power. 

Centiskorch’s last Dynamaxed move is unleashed and you brace yourself for the impact. The Max Strike he had used dealt damage but as he shrinks back down to size you notice that Davine just shakes off the damage and gets into a fighting stance. 

“Screech and then Dragon Tail!” 

The fire-bug wastes no time and attempts to dodge the attack but the screech that pierces its ears causes it enough distraction for Davine to land a clean hit. 

“Flame Wheel!”

“Dragon Claw!”

Davine rushes forward the same that Centiskorch does and the two collide head-on a ferocious display of power. As you wait for the dust to clear the only thing you can think of is the moment she trusted you enough to come with you. You know that whether you win or lose you are proud of her growth and her strength. 

“The challenger wins!” echos throughout the stadium and the crowd goes wild.

Your eyes widen as out of the slowly clearing dust Davine leaps into your arms. You hold her to you as tears threaten to fall down your face. 

“So proud of you!” You mutter to her as you hug her close. 

Looking across the field Kabu is waiting for you. Still holding her you walk forward to stand before the gym leader, holding Davine with one hand you shake his. 

“That was a great battle. Leon chose well with you,” you’re a little flustered at the compliment.

“Thank you,” you say, keeping the tears at bay. Suddenly you are so emotional. 

Kabu hands you the badge and you turn and walk from the field. The locker room is quiet as you take in your win. Davine is sitting beside and a recently healed Serenity is gazing happily up at you. 

“Well, guys… are you ready to spend a few days in the Wild Area?”

You chuckle as Serenity hops about while Davine clicks her scales happily. You steal yourself for the moment you head out of the locker room. You are instantly bombarded with reporters and fans. 

“That was quite a close call! Can I get a quote about the match?”

“That was your first official battle with your Jangmo-o! Did she perform as you expected?”

“You seem to be favoring Dragon types! Are you gunning for Raihan’s gym leadership position?”

“You seemed to struggle with Kabu! Do you feel ready for Stow-on-Side?”

You have to keep yourself from rolling your eyes. You are going to have to confront the media at some point. 

“There are rumors going around about your relationship with Champion Leon! Care to make a comment?”

“The match was a difficult one, but Kabu is known for being the first real hurdle. I have learned that I will need to up my training regime. I don’t consider this a bad thing. I would rather have realistic expectations about future competitions. All battles are different and if they were too easy where would the fun be? Kabu lived up to his reputation and I’m quite happy he took me seriously as an opponent.” you say calmly regarding the reporters.

“Why so many Dragons? How do you feel about your Jangmo’o’s performance?”

“Are you wanting to be a Dragon Trainer?”

“Is your new rival Raihan?”

“Davine, my Jangmo-o, performed beautifully! Her training has done her well. I acknowledge that my other dragons need more training, but I have confidence that they will be a force to be reckoned with by their next official battle. And I have no intention of taking Raihan’s place at his gym. I have just stumbled across some wonderful Dragon types and I enjoy them. I am looking forward to my battle at Stow-on-Side,” you regard them cooly as you answer their questions.

“What about Champion Leon? Are rumors true?” 

“My relationship with Leon? We grew up together, we are old friends and there is nothing else to tell. Now if I have answered everyone’s questions I would like to go rest. I spent last night in a cave and I had an exciting morning, please excuse me,” you send them a dazzling smile as you make your way through the crowd. You knew you had to stop the questions about your relationship with Leon. That’s when things get dicy.

Walking up to the Budew Inn you can feel the eyes of the reporters as you greet the fans there. You’re surprised when several young trainers ask for an autograph and ask you questions about the battle. Once everyone is satisfied you head up to your room, you know the guys are waiting. 

The room itself is empty save for a note on the table. 

‘Gone to the League, call Kabu if anything happens! And congrats on the win! Be back soon!’

You know what they are doing. Giving you space.

You release your team and head into the bedroom where you lay down onto the bed. Serenity is the first to join you happily flopping down next to you with Davine crawling up beside you. Hades curls up on the floor next to the bed and Echo hangs delicately from the ceiling fan curling into himself. Perhaps I should be training you think as Axel makes himself comfortable at the foot of the bed. 

‘No… I need to rest…’ you think.

Nile curls up on your other side and slowly you drift off to sleep content in your win and happy with your rest.

It’s a few hours later when you wake up and see the sun lower in the sky. You check your phone and it’s just after 3 o’clock.

You pull yourself from the warmth of your blanket, your friends stirring as you do so. You head out into the kitchen and notice the guys are still gone. You order takeout and as you wait you check your social media which was a mistake. There were several people making comments about your battle with Kabu.

You scrolled through the comments with a frown as names such as ‘wannabe’ and ‘wash-up’ stand out. You notice several reports on the battle and despite your victory, the reports questioned your abilities. Asking if you were ready for the next battle. You scoff as you close the app. A knock on the door signals your food is here. 

After you are settled with your dinner you pull up the stats on your team and begin to formulate a plan. Allister is next and his team deals with ghost types. You lean back in your seat and think over your options. Your team is steadily growing even though you would like more time to train and cultivate them. You know that getting to the next gym is important. 

The sound of the door opening and the guys walking in interrupt your thoughts.

“There she is!” Exclaims Raihan as he walks in, “Our very own force of nature!”

You chuckle at his exclamation and despite your earlier anger at him, you just can’t stay mad.

“That was an intense battle! Kabu went a little hard on you!” Leon exclaims as he makes his way into the suite a couple of bags in his hand. 

“Did he?”

“Oh yeah! Kabu has a tendency to be tough anyway, but sometimes if he really wants to challenge someone he’s a little tougher if he knows they can handle it.”

“He can do that?” you ask as you help Leon start unpacking some of the supplies the two of them got. You would be heading back into the wild area tomorrow and you’ll need to be prepared. After all, you have a lot of training to do over the next few days. 

“Kabu kinda does what he wants,” Raihan says as he shrugs his shoulders. 

“Well, it was a tough battle… I wasn’t expecting to be that close to defeat.”

“You were amazing though!” Leon says excitement dripping from his words, “I can’t wait until we get to battle in the finals!”

“Why are you so sure she’s going to be the one battling you?” questions Raihan. 

You glance over at Raihan and notice the cocky tilt of his head. 

“Because she’s going to blow you away so she can get to me!” Leon says with a slight smirk. 

You roll your eyes at their antics. 

“I mean I know my princess is the best, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to go easier on her. This is my year after all… I’m going to get the most amazing girlfriend and the title.”

“What makes you so sure she will choose you? You see this?” Leon asks, pulling his shirt forward, “It’s boyfriend material.”

You throw your head back and laugh and both guys grin at you. 

“That’s okay my dude… you stay boyfriend material. We both know she needs a real man.”

“That’s what you are Rai?” you ask glancing over at him, “A real man?”

“You know it,” he says with a wink.

You chuckle as you shake your head.

“You guys are wild…” you say as you get up.

“You love it!” they both chorus with a laugh. 

The next morning dawns and you are forced to give up your bed way before you want to. You head out into the common area and notice that Leon is up and doing push-ups in front of the TV. Shirtless. A blush finds its way to your cheeks as you regard your childhood friend. You know that Leon is a man now and no longer the boy you once knew, but sometimes you forget just how much the two of you have changed. 

You shake yourself out of a stupor as you head over to the little kitchenette and put on the coffee that the guys got yesterday. 

“I saw that…” you hear, his breath tickling the shell of your ear.

You whip around in alarm and look up at Leon. He’s panting slightly from his workout and you can see a light sheen of sweat on his brow, his hair pulled up in a messy bun on top of his head. He puts his hands on the counter behind you and leans forward his eyes gazing deeply into yours. Your mind short circuits as you gaze back and your hands come to rest on his bare chest, but you make no move to push him away. 

“You know… we got interrupted the other night we could always pick up where we left off…”

You blush as you gently push him away and avoid his gaze, “Lee… we can’t…”

“Why not?” if you didn’t know any better you would say that Leon, Champion of the Galar region is pouting. 

“Well, first it wouldn’t be fair to Raihan…” He sighs as he gazes up at the ceiling.

“I can’t wait until I don’t have to share you with him anymore…” he mutters as his hands drop to your waist pulling you closer to him.

“Someone’s sure of themself…” you tease before you look back up into his eyes, “AND I need to finish the challenge.”

He pulls away with an annoyed sigh, “I’m not saying you don’t deserve this but… I’m beginning to regret endorsing you. I could have swept you off your feet and kept you all to myself,” he murmurs as he pulls you towards him again. 

You chuckle and wrap your arms around him, “It’s that big heart of yours…”

“Hmm… Look where it’s got me… cock blocked by my own title.”

You laugh as you pull away and he chuckles at his joke. 

“Who even are you? I didn’t know you were soooo…” you trail off looking for the right word. 

“Dashing?”

“No…”

“Seductive?”

“No.”

“Charming?”

“Needy.”

“I am not needy!” he says, obviously offended.

“It’s not a bad thing… You’re just affectionate…”

“Then say affectionate!”

You giggle as you turn back to the coffee, “But you’re needy,” you say innocently pouring it into your mug. 

His arms are around your waist and he’s resting his chin on your shoulder as he hugs you to him.

“Maybe you’re just irresistible?”

You giggle at him, “Maybe…”

“You don’t believe me?” He asks with a challenge.

He grips your waist and squeezes gently to tickle you. 

“Leon!” You squeal.

“What?” He asks innocently.

“Leon stop!!!”

You hear a boom and look up to see the door to Raihan’s room open and he comes stumbling out.

“What’s going on?” He exclaims in a slight panic, clearly dazed from sleep.

He blinks at you two before he scowls and brings his hand up to his head. 

“We woke you, didn’t we?” You ask with a wince. 

“There are worse noises to wake up to…” 

“Sorry Rai…” you mutter avoiding his eyes.

“It’s fine… I’m going to go shower…”

You wince at the sound of his door shutting. 

“That…”

“I’m sure he’s fine…” Leon says softly.

“Would you be?” You ask pointedly as you turn to face him. 

“I-“

You give him a look before he can even attempt to give you an excuse.

“No…”

“Let’s get ready to head out.”

He nods before he heads into this room to get ready as well. It’s a few hours before you all head out. Standing on the steps you gaze out over the Wild Area and suddenly you feel yourself relax. 

“Alright! Off to Hammerlocke!” You say happily as you all set off into the area. You recall the moments the three of you spent out here just a few weeks ago and you’re hoping that things can get semi back to normal as you trek towards the bridge connecting the secondary portion of the Wild Area. You send out your team and chuckle as Nile and Bastet frolic in the tall grass. Zuko lumbers behind mimicking everything that Charizard does. You giggle as you watch the duo. 

“You’ve got a few things you need to find before you get to Hammerlocke,” Raihan says, his hands behind his head as he lazily regards the area around him. 

“That’s right, I need to find an Ice Stone and an apple for my Applin,” you say with a nod.

So you spend the day poking around the Wild Area and casually training your pokemon. 

“So Allister’s next… Do you think you’re ready?” Leon asks. 

You gaze up at the blue sky as if in thought, “Who knows?” you ask absentmindedly.

“Huh? Are you okay?” Raihan asks as he comes up behind you and drapes an arm around your shoulder. 

“Yeah… I just have a lot on my mind right now which includes training for the gym.”

“You don’t feel ready?” questions Leon in concern. 

You recall how you barely scraped by in your match against Kabu.

“Things are only going to get harder from here and it will be a couple of days before we get back to Hammerlocke. We have to be careful and I have a lot of work to do.”

The guys exchanged concerned glances over your head before they nodded to each other. 

“Let’s just take tomorrow and explore okay?” Leon asks gently. 

“Yeah! You could use a break from everything, that includes the League Challenge, and just have some fun!”

You chuckle, “Who has time for fun?”

“You do! This journey is supposed to be FUN!” Raihan says before he picks you up and swings you over his shoulder. 

“RAIHAN!” you yelp as you land like a sack of potatoes on his shoulder and kick your feet in hopes of being put down. You hear the duo laugh as they both take off running into the Wild Area. Your own Pokemon laughing as they rush off after you all. Your group ends up finding an alcove near a small pond and set up camp. 

“We’re going swimming tonight!” Raihan announces as he regards the pond happily. 

“I don’t have a swimsuit!” you exclaim a blush on your cheeks.

“I don’t mind…” Raihan says with a smirk, “Do you, Lee?” 

Leon glances up from his pack with a smirk on his handsome face, “Sure don’t…”

“You two are incorrigible… There are children present!” You exclaim as you gesture to the tiny Eevee a few feet away. “Plus there is the Breeding center not too far from here!”

“You worry too much! Plus you act like I told you to strip…” Raihan says leaning casually against a nearby tree.

“You did…”

“I said no such thing!” Raihan says feigning innocence, “It’s not my fault that’s where your dirty mind went…”

You scoff at him, “It was heavily implied!”

“Or maybe you just want to take your clothes off for me…”

“I’m surrounded by preteen boys!”

Raihan sends you a grin, his sharp canines showing as he stalks toward you like a predator hunting its prey. He leans his arm against the tree above your head and leans down caging you in with his body, “Deny it all you want, I know you want this body…” he says gesturing to himself. 

You roll your eyes and push him away, he backs up with a laugh, before you start on lunch your team happily helping out where they can. Zuko is tending the fire. Nile is happily swimming in the pond, you know he doesn’t get the chance to swim very much. Bastet is happily grooming her baby, you have decided to name her Hathor and call her Ha Ha for short. Serenity and Davine are helping you with dinner while Hades continues to attempt to eat the berries you’re chopping up. The guys let out their own Pokemon and you chuckle as Flygon and Duraludon both walk up to observe the cooking while Charizard lounges on the cool grass lazily keeping a lookout. 

Once everyone was fed you glance over at the pond and heave a sigh. You did want to go swimming. You figured an afternoon blowing off steam would do you some good. So you head over to the tent and get changed into a black bra and panty set with a large t-shirt over it. 

“Oh, so you are swimming?” Raihan asks as he glances over at you a predatory look in his eyes. 

“Hush,” you grumble as you get into the water. The guys share a glance before they rush to follow you. You laugh as clothes go flying into the air before both men jump into the water in their boxers. 

“My eyes!” you exclaim with a laugh, playfully covering your eyes.

“That’s not what you were saying this morning!” Leon exclaims as he splashes you with water. Your arms go up to shield your face before you splashback. The fight begins and you all get into an all-out war with one another. Raihan picks you up and dumps you into the water as you squeal Leon rushing over to rescue you.

“Stop trying to drown her Raihan!” Leon exclaims as he clutches you to him. 

“I’m not!” Raihan says before attempted to pry you out of Leon’s arms. The duo getting into a wrestling match in the water as you swim away. 

You can see the sun begin to set behind the horizon and you watch in amusement as the duo continues their fight, even though you all know it’s just for show. Their bravo is something they will never outgrow, it dates back years at this point and who are you to get in the way. You heave a sigh as you gaze at the sky as the sunset paints it different colors of pinks, oranges, and purples. 

“Leon! Go make dinner since you lost!” Raihan demands. 

“What?!” You glance up noticing Raihan has Leon in a headlock and you’re quite surprised. You figured that since Leon is broader he would be the one to win, but apparently even he isn’t any match for Raihan’s incredible height.

Leon calls your name in a whine, “Help?”

“I cooked lunch!” you yell back to him as you stretch out on the blanket you’ve taken residence on. You hear him whine in annoyance but otherwise shuffle out of the water and into the tent to get changed before he starts cooking. Raihan is beside you in a moment happily stretching out beside you. Your muscles feel just overworked and lazy as you lay there drying. 

“Feel better?” he asks.

You nod refusing to open your eyes. You can feel him shift next to you, “Good…” he murmurs so as not to break the peace of the early evening. The two of you sit in silence for a while as you gaze at the darkening sky. A breeze blows by and you feel a shiver wrack your body. Raihan pulls you closer to him and wraps himself around you. 

“We should get changed, you don’t need to get sick,” he whispers in your ear.

You nod before you both stand-up and head towards the tent. You can smell the scent of dinner permeating the air. You zip the divider as you both dry off and get changed. You aren’t expecting the moment that Raihan’s arms wrap around you from behind as he nuzzles into your neck. 

“Raihan?” you question as you turn around him his arms. He looks down at you regarding you seriously. 

“Shhh…” he says before he leans down he’s just a breath away from you. His hands cup your face and he brushes his nose against yours. 

“I just want the chance to prove I’m great for you…” he murmurs before lightly brushing his lips against yours. 

“Rai…” you gasp out as you try to step away, “We…”

He rests his head on your shoulder and nods, “I know… I just…”

“Hey, guys! You better get out here and take a look at this!” you hear Leon yell from outside of the tent. 

You pull yourself out of Raihan’s arms and head outside in time to see...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave me some love! And as always please leave me a comment! I love hearing from you!


	14. Danger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You get employed to help so pokemon with a problem and in the meantime get yourself in over your head. Can Leon and Raihan put their differences aside to be your knights in shining armor? How will you ever survive if those darn thieves keep showing up?

You and Raihan stumble out of the tent in a blind panic and you see…

Nothing.

You both blink as you watch Leon swat at the sky as if something is swooping down, but you don’t see anything. 

“Uhh… Lee?” you question. 

Leon turns to you both, fear in his eyes as he yells, “Look out!” 

You furrow your brow before something hits you square in the stomach, knocking you to the ground. You land with an ‘oomph’ as the air is knocked from your lungs. Raihan shouts your name in surprised panic before he’s thrown away from you. You watch as if in slow motion as Leon attempts to rush to you, and yet he can’t seem to get to you. Before you even realize what is happening, you look down in surprise to see you are floating. The weightlessness that takes over your body startles you and you begin to thrash in the air. Your eyes become heavy as sudden drowsiness takes over your mind. The last thing you see before you slip into unconsciousness is Raihan and Leon fending off an invisible force, desperation in their eyes. 

You blink away the darkness as you open your eyes. Giggles can be heard all around you even though you can’t see anything. “Who’s there?” you call out struggling to get to your feet. You reach for your team only to discover they aren’t on your belt. Fear takes over as you look around. Floating before you are your friends, still locked in their Pokéballs. Blinking in confusion, you reach to take Serenity’s Pokéball only to yelp as it shoots up out of your reach. 

“Huh?” You gaze up into the sky and watch as your team bounces around as if something is taunting you. You sigh, “Ghost Pokémon…”

The giggles get louder before four forms fade into view in front of you. A Gastly, Haunter, Shuppet, and Duskull. 

“Yes…” you say clearly unamused at the ghosts floating before you, “you’re all very clever. Now please give me back my team.”

The Haunter that is floating before you giggles before he takes off between the two cliffs you were dropped next to. “Hey!” you yell as you rush after him, your Pokémon floating along behind him. 

You run for a few minutes until you reach a small cliff overlooking the Wild Area. You gasp the moment you see what is unfolding a few hundred feet below you. 

***

Leon swats at the Duskull as it swoops down, Charizard unleashing a flamethrower at the Haunter that attempted to swoop down and attack his trainer. The Haunter veers off to the left, cackling as he does so. Leon summons his Aegislash. 

“Night slash!” Leon yells to his newly released companion. 

Aegislash takes a stance before he unleashes a devastating attack. 

“A little help would be ni-” Leon is cut off as he turns to Raihan and (Y/N), “Look out!”

He could see the Haunter that (Y/N) clearly couldn’t swoop down and ram directly into her stomach, knocking her to the ground. Stumbling back, Leon watches in abject horror as a Duskul throws a disoriented Raihan back and away from her. Leon struggles to get to her, but he can’t. Before he can untangle himself from the onslaught of ghost types, (Y/N) is lifted up into the air by the Haunter that attacked her before. 

“(Y/N)!” Raihan yells as he struggles to get up, only to discover that a force has him pinned to the ground. 

“Go after her!” Leon yells to Charizard. 

Charizard snorts, smoke and embers exhaled from his nostrils in anger. He spreads his wings and takes off only to be engaged in combat by a slew of Gastly. Calling out his Dragapult, Leon commands him to use Phantom Force to help Raihan. 

The ghost dragon unleashes an attack at the Duskull holding Raihan captive with its psychic powers. Once Raihan is released he jumps to his feet, rage evident on his face, and he unleashes Goodra and Flygon. The two dragons sensing their trainer’s anger don’t hold back as they attack the Pokémon surrounding them. 

Then just as suddenly as they all arrived, the Ghost Pokémon disperse, leaving the battle just as mysteriously as they came. 

Leon and Raihan pant, attempting to catch their breath before they glance over at one another in confusion before nodding with determination in their eyes. 

“We have to find her,” Raihan growls. 

“Let’s go,” Leon agrees before both men and their Pokémon rush in the direction they saw you carried off. 

***

You gasp as you blink down at the sight before you. Pokémon thieves are rounding up Dreepy and Drakloak by the dozens. You watch in horror as they use whips to herd them into rings where they begin throwing blackened Pokéballs at them. You’ve never seen anything like this before and it makes your stomach turn.

After about half an hour of watching, all the Pokémon have been captured and placed into bags. By this time the sun has set and shadows have grown longer and darker. The thieves are now sitting around a fire preparing dinner and lounging after a hard day of rounding up Pokémon like they are nothing. 

Sitting in the dark you contemplate the situation you are in and what you can do about it. 

“I need to find he-LP!” You yelp as you are picked up by the Haunter that carried you here. “Hey! Put me down!” you whisper yell at the Pokémon, who only ignores you. 

Dropping you into camp unceremoniously, you are momentarily stunned by the fall. You rush to find cover in the shadows of nearby boulders. Realizing with dread that they still hadn’t given you your team back, so now you are left pretty much defenseless against the pokemon thieves that are also trying to capture you. 

“Oh… dear…” you mutter as you try to keep yourself from panicking. It seems you’ve been doing that a lot lately. 

A few feet from you there are about 4 bags filled with the captured pokemon. Suddenly, you realize that you are the help and decide that you have no choice but to do what you can. Rushing over to the bags, you open it and begin to let the Dreepy and Dragpult out. You hush them as they begin to float off into the darkness. You are about halfway through the second bag when a shout echoes in the ravine. 

“Hey! How are those Dreepy escaping?” 

Your eyes widen as a strangled gasp escapes your lips. You try to rush into the shadows and boulders to the left, but you aren’t quick enough. 

“And just where do you think you’re going?” a deep sinister voice asks from behind you. 

You whip around just as a pair of hands clamp onto your arms and throw you to the ground. 

“No!” you yelp feeling helpless and scared.

“Tie her up, let’s see what the boss has to say about this,” says the ring leader. 

You struggle as you are bound and gagged before being thrown over the man’s shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Your only hope at this point is Raihan and Leon, and you hope they find you soon.

***

Leon and Raihan rush down the path looking for any sign of (Y/N) with Charizard, Dragapult, and Flygon in the air scouting the area. However, as the canyon they have found themselves in becomes darker, the more distraught they become.

“Where could they have taken her?!” Raihan practically roars in frustration. He feels like a failure and honestly he’s angrier with himself than anyone else right now. How could he let this happen?

“How am I supposed to know!?” Leon yells back. 

“Well if you had been quicker!” Raihan snaps. 

“What are you talking about?! You were right next to her! You let them take her!” Leon retorts, anger clouding his words. 

Raihan growls, “I couldn’t see anything. I didn’t even know what was happening, and I did try to get to her!” Guilt encompasses him as he recalls the look of fear on her face as she was thrown away from him. 

“Not fast enough,” is Leon’s icy retort. 

“Don’t forget, oh great Champion, you let her down too.” Raihan’s words are like bullets as they pierce Leon’s heart. He knows he failed her like he’s done so many times before. 

“I know I did… But that’s why we’re going to get her back!” Leon glares at the space ahead of him as he rushes after Charizard, determination blazing in his eyes. 

The Pokemon scouting the area raise their noses in the air before they circle over a particular spot and the guys rush forward. Raihan suddenly grabs the back of Leon’s shirt to keep him from running full force into the middle of the camp. The fire illuminates the people surrounding it, their uniforms are familiar to the duo. It is Team Domino, the thieves after (Y/N) that have been causing so much trouble all over Galar. 

“It’s Team Domino!” Whisper yells Raihan.

“Are they behind this? Is this an attempt at abducting (Y/N)?” Leon asks, anger tinting his question. 

“If they are, they are done for,” Raihan growls. 

The duo nod at one another before they turn back to observing the camp. 

The men watch the camp, looking for any sign of (Y/N), they squat in the darkness listening as intently as possible for any clue you might be there. 

“Whoa… What is that?” Raihan questions as he points into the air. 

“Huh?” Leon looks up and against the darkness of the sky is a figure floating down that looks somewhat familiar. 

“No way…”

“Couldn’t be…”

It is though. Dropping out of their sight a moment later behind the tents. Both men just blink as they attempt to understand what is happening. 

“Did Ghost-type Pokémon just… take her?” starts Leon.

“And then drop her here?” Finishes Raihan. 

“We’re going to have to find a way to get her out of that camp,” Leon asserts as he returns to observing the camp. He’s tense from the possibility she might be caught already. 

Raihan watches with bated breath for a few moments, waiting for a call to go up in the camp. When a few minutes have passed and there is no sign that they found her, they relax slightly as they try to figure out what to do. Their reprieve doesn’t last long, as a yell goes up through the camp and clearly she has been found. They don’t hesitate as they unleash their teams and begin to fight their way through the campsite to get to her. 

Leon unleashes Charizard and Haxorus, while Raihan sends out Duraludon and Flygon. The camp is in absolute chaos as most of Team Domino release their own Pokémon to start battling Galar’s strongest trainers. Dragapult, Gyrados, Drapion, and Gengar begin their attack. Flygon and Charizard are instantly dodging a Hydro Pump from Gyarados flying high into the sky only to be pursued by a Dragapult releasing Dragon Breath. Meanwhile, Drapion and Gengar engage Haxorus and Duraludon, the poisoned pair attacking with a combination of toxic and then hex hitting Haxorus spot on. Not to be outdone, Duraludon unleashes his Stone Edge attack only to be hit with Cross Poison from Drapion. Everything comes to a complete stop though when the leader rounds the corner and there you are a Syther with a blade to your throat. 

“Call off your Pokémon, or the girl is dead,” he growls. 

Both men freeze as they regard the man before them. He isn’t the same one from before, so it’s likely he has no idea who you are. That his very boss wanted you for his own devices and therefore he wouldn’t hesitate to kill you. 

“Charizard... Haxorus… stand down…” Leon growls agitation at the situation obvious. 

“Flygon! Duraludon! You too…” Raihan relents an edge to his voice promising pain to the man if he hurts you. 

Your eyes are wide and wild with fear and they can hardly stand to see you like this, especially when they are now so helpless. 

***

“Take their team and tie them up! We’ve got the Champ and the lead gym leader boys! Who else can say ‘bonus?!’” he cackles as he slings you back over his shoulder and saunters away. 

You’re thrown into a tent by yourself and cringe when you hear the boisterous celebratory voices outside. Each one congratulating the other on their win. You take deep steadying breaths trying to calm down and think of a way out of this. You have no idea what to do. Your hands are bound behind your back, your feet are tied together and there is a gag over your mouth. You close your eyes as defeat swims in your veins. Vaguely you wonder if this is it? 

‘This is how I’m captured by them… This is how I become their prisoner… Their trainer? Will they try to hurt Leon and Raihan? How could I drag them into this?’ 

Tears well up in your eyes and silently you cry as you allow, just for a moment, the emotions to overwhelm you. 

‘Will I ever see them again?’ 

You don’t know how much time has passed before you see it. A small figure floating in front of you. Your eyes widen as you gaze back at the small gray Pokémon before you. A Shuppet gazes back at you with large inquisitive eyes. Blinking your croak out a quiet ‘Hi’ internally cringing at your hoarse voice from crying. 

The Shuppet coos at you before it giggles and vanishes.

“Wait!” You exclaim quietly, your cry muffled by the gag in your mouth, but it seems to be gone. Curling back into yourself you lay on the ground trying to figure a way out is this when a commotion outside startles you. You can hear yells and the angry roars of Pokémon in battle as the darkness outside of your tent is suddenly illuminated by a flame. You’re startled when the tent catches fire and your muffled screams seem to go unnoticed by everyone outside. You can’t breathe and your screams slowly turn into coughs and gasps. 

As the tent burns and the flames become hotter you shimmy farther back into the tent and close your eyes. Suddenly something cold envelopes you and you roll from the tent into the cool night coughing and gagging on the smoke still filling your lunges. The ropes on your hands are slashed as well as the ones on your feet. Your free hands immediately go to gag and you yank it down taking in your first breath of fresh air. Your gaze finds the wild Dragapult now in front of you with the Shuppet from earlier floating along beside the devious Pokémon. 

“Thank you…” you gasp out. 

The Dragapult nods before it vanishes into the night leaving you and the Shuppet alone. 

The small ghost-like puppet gazes up at you innocently, blinking in curiosity as it coos at you again. 

“Hey! What are you doing?!” Yells a man from the shadows a Liepard crouched down beside him. 

“Run!” You yell as you take off in the opposite direction. The Shuppet is frozen in fear as it takes in the Dark Type Pokémon before it. Without thinking you swoop down and scoop up the ghost into your arms as you take off. Your opponents rush after you yelling for backup. You scream as another one pops out of the shadows and in the chaos you can’t really see where Leon and Raihan are, but you can tell by the roars of Charizard that he is angry and all that stands in his way will pay. 

***

Their Pokémon are taken from them and the girl they love held hostage. It is safe to say that Leon and Raihan are not having a very good night. The sound of the thieves boasting about their success makes their insides twist. Both men are angry and silent which does not bode well for the group holding them all hostage. 

“We have to figure a way out of this…” Leon growls.

“Yes… thank you great Champion! I had no idea that’s what needs to happen!”

Leon glares at Raihan, “Listen I just wanted to know if you had any ideas, you don’t have to be a dick. This situation is bad enough with your shit.”

Raihan scoffs but doesn’t meet Leon’s eyes, “I know… I’m just worried that something is happening to her and I can’t help her.”

Leon’s eyes soften as he regards his best friend, “I know… me too… I’ll never forgive myself if they do something to her. What’s the use of being Champion if I can’t even protect the woman I love…”

Raihan regards him for a moment, “Love huh? How long?”

“I don’t know… I liked her when we were kids, but this is different…”

“It’s intense, huh?” Raihan asks, holding his friends gaze.

“So you too?”

Raihan nods, “She just… makes me want to be better you know? When we first started out it was just an attraction. I liked her but now after the things we’ve been through together I-”

“Yeah, man… I know what you mean…” Leon doesn’t want to hear how much his friend loves her as well. He doesn’t want to acknowledge that she could choose someone else. That she could choose his best friend over him…

“It’s going to suck when she chooses....” Raihan mutters lost in thoughts of how likely it is she would choose him. She has a history with Leon that she doesn’t have with him and vaguely he wonders how much that hurts his chances. 

Their conversation is cut short by a voice outside of the tent.

“Someone get the boss on the phone! He’s been looking for a chance to take out that chump of a champ and that dragon asshole for a while now. Sounded personal! Probably has something to do with that take over he’s planning for the Finals.”

They share a glance with narrowed eyes.

“I thought it had to do with that girl… you know the one right?” Interjects a jealous female voice. It’s low and sultry there is a bite in her tone and the way she spits out ‘that girl’ indicates her feelings about her.

“Girl!? What girl!?” The boss yells.

“Don’t you pay attention to anything!?” She yells, “that girl that’s part of his plan! He wants her for… something… he won’t say though…”

She almost pouts at the last bit of information, even if the poison in her words is still audible. 

“Boss! He’s on the phone!” The leader is suddenly quiet and the faint sound of “Yes, boss,” could be heard every now and again. 

“Round up the champ and gym leader, there are about to be some open positions in the league,” he yells laughing.

Leon and Raihan allow themselves to be dragged to their feet by the two men who come to get them. They are practically thrown into the open ring surrounded by the group of thieves. 

“Boss says you two are in the way… kept talking about some girl and how you’re too close to her. You see… the Boss doesn’t like competition, so we’ve been tasked with taking care of the competition. There is a nice river that should do just fine…” he says menacingly.

Of course, they should have known that Leon and Raihan wouldn’t take a death sentence sitting down. 

With a flash of light, there is a roar of anger from Charizard and Duraludon as they break free from their Pokéballs followed quickly by the rest of their teams. Leon throws his head back into his captor’s face effectively breaking his nose while Raihan rams his entire body weight into his taking them both to the ground. A familiar Charmander is beside Raihan slashing the ropes binding him. Raihan jumps to his feet and punches the nearest man while Charmander helps Leon as well. 

“Go find her Zuko, she needs you! We’ll be right behind you!” Leon tells the fire lizard. 

“We have some unfinished business…” Raihan growls cracking his knuckles as he regards the man before him. 

Zuko nods before he scurries off into the night looking for his captured trainer. 

Leon turns just in time to block a punch from the leader and throw a right punch, hitting him square in the jaw. He curses as he stumbles back. The two strongest teams in Galar don’t need much help taking out their opponents and soon the thieves are starting to retreat. 

***

Stumbling through the canyon you run clutching the small ghost in your arms. A small group of thieves and their Pokémon are quickly gaining on you. Two Leipards and two Croagunks send out attacks causing the rock and dirt around you to explode in a fury of attacks. Determination takes over as you dodge another attack and squeal as a stream of poison flies over your head. You leap over the steaming puddle of toxins, tripping on the loose rock as you land before leaping back onto your feet. 

It isn’t long until you come to a dead end. A cliff juts up trapping you into the cavern. You turn with your eyes wild with fear and adrenaline coursing through your veins as you regard your opponents, now casually walking closer to you, confident in their victory. The Liepard are on either side of you crouched low to the ground and the Croagunk giggle as they taunt you. 

“Get her!” Yells one of the grunts just as a fireball rains down from the sky and lands directly between you and your attackers. Zuko and Echo drop down in front of you, ready to attack. 

“Oh? The girlie has some friends… this is going to be fun..” he snarls, “Crunch!”

“Zuko! Fire Fang! Echo! Air Cutter!” 

Zuko rushes forward at the same time that the Liepard does, flames already igniting in his jaws making him glow ominously as he charges forward. The Liepard leaps forward gracefully and they both collide latching onto one another. Zuko is thrown off at the same time that a Croagunk unleashes his toxin. Zuko is thrown back but quickly right himself ready to defend his trainer. 

Echo swoops down and unleashes an air cutter before dodging a dark slash. Flying up higher to evade the attack quickly Echo lets out an ear-piercing screech before unleashing a gust of wind. The Liepard and Croagunk pair attacking him is thrown back and into a wall. 

“Echo! Focus on the Croagunk!” You tell. 

Echo nods before unleashing a biting wind.

“Razor wind…” you mutter gazing in awe up at your tiny dragon. “Zuko! Look out!” 

The Liepard is now focusing all of their attacks at Zuko who is having a hard time keeping up with the agile cats. 

“Flamethrower!” You yelp right before he is thrown back into your arms throwing you back into the wall behind you with a grunt. You catch the small fire-lizard holding him to you as he tries to free himself from your grip. You collapse to the ground holding him, mentally begging for the strength to get through this. 

“It’s okay Zuko… you can do this…” you whisper to him with tears in your eyes. “I believe in you…”

Zuko gazes up into your eyes and a moment later a bright light emits from the tiny Charmander in your grasp. You feel the tiny body grow as the light dims, and when the light fades completely you gasp: Zuko has evolved into a Charmeleon. He stands before his opponents with renewed confidence. He lets out a roar before unleashing a Flamethrower at his opponents. It catches them off guard and they are thrown back. 

The pair of Leipards growl at their evolved opponent before leaping forward slashing Zuko. He leaps out of the way before unleashing another attack. You know he can’t keep this up forever, but you need to buy some time.

Echo is dodging the onslaught of toxins with an impressive display of acrobatics, but you know this isn’t enough. You are outnumbered and outmatched, the only thing you can hope for is that Leon and Raihan find you soon. 

***

Leon delivers one final punch to the man, effectively knocking him unconscious. Raihan has just finished tying up the leader and a few of his lackeys that they had defeated. A few had run off when the tide of the battle had turned. Very few are a match for the sheer power of Galar’s strongest trainers. 

Raihan glances up as he sees Serenity bouncing up and down before him. Nobody is quite sure where (Y/N)’s Pokémon had come from, but they weren’t going to question it. 

“You know where she is?” Raihan asks. 

Serenity nods before whipping one of her tentacles down onto the head of the leader, moreson in vengeance for her trainer than anything, as he was about to return to consciousness. Serenity glowers at the man and hits him one more time for good measure.

“Let’s go then,” Leon says as he walks up to the pair.

Serenity is hopping off down a trail with Raihan and Leon following close behind. The trio rushes through the canyon side-stepping the toxic remains of the attack. 

Serenity doesn’t even pause as she comes across a fork in the path veering off down the right. Charizard is sailing through the air and the moment he hears something he takes off down the path. Serenity thrills and Charizard roars back in response diving low enough for her to leap up onto his back. The pair fly off down the path leaving Leon and Raihan running along behind. Sharing a glance, no words are needed as Raihan releases Flygon and Leon releases Dragapult before following after. 

They are enraged at the sight before them. Huddled against the canyon wall is (Y/N), a beaten Charmeleon barely standing before her with Echo, her Noibat, flapping wildly and sending out screeches in a desperate attempt to keep their attackers at bay. The small puppet-like ghost still clutched in her hands is sending out attacks to keep the Leipards and Croagunk at bay. It isn’t enough though, and slowly, they are closing in. The lackeys just laugh as they watch her desperately try to defend herself and her Pokémon. She cries out as a Liepard slashes her arm as she throws herself in front of Zuko.

Charizard lands just as the Leipards leap forward to land the finishing blow. Charizard bats them away like they are nothing. He lets out a stream of fire so hot they could feel the heat from several yards away. He snorts, flames mixed with the smoking rage radiating like flames off of him. The lackeys exclaim in surprise and fear as they stumble back. 

“It’s the Champ’s Charizard!”

“Shit! We gotta get out of here!” 

The group turns to run only to stop in their tracks. Standing behind them are Leon and Raihan, their Pokémon posed to attack. 

“So… you think it’s funny to trap a woman in a canyon alone and taunt her as you beat up on her and her Pokémon while she’s outnumbered?” Leon asks a hard glint in his eyes. “What do you think we should do with them Raihan?”

Raihan looks downright feral as he regards the thieves before him with a snarl, “I think we should return the favor…”

They didn’t stand a chance…

***

Blinking in confusion, you watch as Leon and Raihan destroy the group in front of you. The raw power that radiates off of them and their pokemon is a sight to behold and you can only pray that you become that powerful one day. Gazing in wonder at Charizard you pull Charmeleon back into your arms and praise him. He did so well defending you against the thieves but you are worried for your friend now. Serenity appears out of nowhere and throws herself into your arms with a chirp before regarding the beaten and battered Zuko in your lap. 

“Can you help him? All of my supplies are back at camp,” you ask her. 

She nods before she releases a healing pulse at Zuko causing him to stir. He remains asleep in your arms but looks far better than he did. At least at this point, you will have time to get him to a Pokémon center. Echo lands on your head and receives his own dose of Serenity’s healing pulse. He seems much happier now and remains happily perched on your shoulder with the Shuppet continuing to snuggle into your arms quite content where it is. 

Suddenly you feel a pair of strong arms jerk you into a strong chest before another pair wraps around your middle. Echo takes flight startled by the abrupt presence. 

“Oh!” you exclaim as you attempt to pull yourself free from the duo startled by their rough affection. Shuppet wiggles itself free and floats near you as Leon and Raihan wrap themselves around you to the best of their ability.

“We were so worried…” gasps Leon. You feel tears on the top of your head as he just squeezes you tighter. 

“We thought we were going to lose you…” whispers Raihan his words tinted with the fear they no doubt felt. 

You relax in their hold and maneuver your arms so that you are grasping them back just as tightly. 

“I was so scared…” you whisper, “I thought I would never see you guys again…” 

The tears you had been holding at bay burst forth and the three of you collapse to the dirt floor of the canyon a tangle of limbs and tears as you all revel in each other. Resting your head on Raihan’s, you sigh in his familiar scent as Leon continues to run his hands up and down your back. Eventually, the three of you pull away from one another, slightly sore and stiff from the position you had all been in. Charizard and Flygon both rush towards you nuzzling you happily with Dragapult hovering happily near you as well. 

“Hey, guys… I’m okay…” you whisper to them trying to soothe their anxiety. Even after they pull away Charizard shuffles restlessly and Flygon’s wings would randomly buzz sending out gusts of wind as they attempt to calm themselves. 

“What happens now?” you ask as you glance at the duo. Raihan is sprawled out beside you, his hands on the grass holding himself up as he gazes up at the stars. Leon is pacing beside you clearly trying to calm himself down enough to think of the next step. 

“We call the police and they arrest the ones we were able to tie up. Release the Pokémon that they captured and…”

“Keep going,” Raihan finishes for Leon. Even with the hard gaze from the battles he just fought and the adrenaline coursing through his body you can feel his worry for you. 

Leon nods his agreement watching you warily, “We keep going…”

You nod as you regard your friends, the men who had become your strength and your greatest companions and you don’t feel as afraid as you once did. 

“Okay…” you say softly as you go to stand up. Leon is by your side in a moment with Raihan standing quickly to help steady you as well. 

“I’m okay… just shaky is all…” you whisper in answer to their concerned looks. 

“We need to get you out of here…”

“I need to find my team too…” you say worry in your voice. 

The Shuppet who had been floating near you lets out a chirp and rushes off down the path. You exchange a look with the guys and rush off after her. 

Back at camp, you can see the ghost pokemon that had asked for your help in the first place. You Pokémon are hovering over the bags of unreleased Pokémon and it’s pretty obvious what they want in exchange for your team. 

“Okay, let’s release them while we wait for the police okay?”

Leon walks up to the leader and crouches down over his unconscious body before he digs a phone out of his front pocket. You watch as he dials the police while you and Raihan get to work releasing the dragons from their prison. 

“This is disgusting…” Raihan growls picking up another Pokéball, “How dare they disrespect them like this…”

“I’m just happy we were able to rescue them…” you say softly, your hand resting on his. He catches your eye and nods before he turns his hand and captures yours in his. He squeezes your hand before he brings it up to his lips placing several soft kisses on the back of it. You blush and hide your smile before pulling your hand from his. 

“Raihan….” you murmur embarrassed at his affection. 

He chuckles lowly before he returns to his job of releasing the pokemon. You aren’t surprised when one of the Dreepy hovers around him though. Raihan chuckles before placing the young pokemon around his broad shoulders and letting it rest there. 

You giggle as he yawns and curls happily around Raihan’s neck. 

“I think you’ve made a friend…” you say softly. 

“You have too,” he says, indicating the Shuppet that has remained by your side this entire time hovering around your legs. 

You giggle as you look down at her and nod, “Indeed I have…”

Leon walks over after he is done talking to the police and begins to help.

“They are on their way now and should be here soon.”

“We’re going to have to give statements aren’t we?” you ask in annoyance. 

“Yes, then we are heading to Hammerlocke so you can have Zuko and Echo looked at.”

“We can stay at my place and rest after you get them checked out.”

“Sounds perfect…” you mutter as you glance over at the sleeping Charmeleon. Leon had carried him to the camp when you all made your way back since you don’t have your Pokeballs back yet. Serenity is tending to him a few feet away while you all work. 

You finish releasing the captured pokemon just as the police arrive. The Haunter who had employed you to help release the Pokémon allow your friends to hover in the air before you. Plucking them all one by one out of the air you attach them back to your belt and call your friends who had managed to escape back into their homes. 

The clean up of the thieves is a blur that you don’t want to relive. You tell them all that you know and despite their insistence that you should quit the competition for your own safety you refuse. You’ve come too far to allow a group of cowards to take your dream away from you. You recall the sheer power of Leon and Raihan. The power of their teams and just how in sync they were with them. You know that you need more training and that you can’t expect to be where you want to be overnight. And yet you know that you need to go somewhere you can focus. 

The trip back to camp is bittersweet as you gaze around at the ruined food and remnants of the battle that took place here. The sun is beginning to rise as you pack up your things and call a taxi to take you to the city. Normally this wouldn’t be possible for a competitor but after the night you had, getting to the center and then getting some sleep somewhere safe is the most important thing on everyone’s mind. 

Everyone drops their Pokémon off at the center in order to heal them. While you wait, Raihan heads off down the street to get food for everyone while you just slump against Leon. You are both grimy and covered in dirt, but neither of you can bring yourself to care. 

“You did great out there, you know?” Leon asks as he gazes at you adoration clear in his eyes. 

“Did I? I’m not so sure…” you don’t hold his gaze as you look at the light above the door. 

“You were brave and did the best you could with what you had…”

“Leon, I-”

He hushes you before he brings you in for a soft kiss, his lips are soft against yours. It lasts for only a moment and if you hadn’t experienced it yourself then you wouldn’t even believe it happened. He pulls back with a proud smirk on his lips as he wraps an arm around your shoulders. 

Just as the sun is peeking into the windows of the center the light goes off and you collect your Pokemon. Raihan sends you a message letting you know that he is home and waiting with food and beds for you both. Leon grasps your hand in his as you both make your way to Raihan’s house just down the street. He seems to want to take advantage of the quiet morning as the sun peaks over the horizon painting the sky pinks and oranges as a new day begins. 

Exhaustion takes over the moment you get to Raihan’s place. You collapse on the couch and eat the breakfast sandwiches he had gotten for everyone. Before you are even done eating Raihan has passed out on his couch, his mouth open as light snores radiate from him. Your eyes droop shut as you curl up on the end and Leon uses the built-in recliner to stretch out. Before the sun has even fully made its way into the sky you are all out like a light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little longer to get out than I wanted, but things are starting to pick back up a little bit, not to mention this chapter was formatted a little differently. I hope you liked Leon and Raihan's moments. Please drop your love and tell me your thoughts! Special thanks to SareneVellichor and Starssscary for helping to beta! This probably would have never gotten finished without them!


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